Unexpected Results
by jhunt
Summary: Ranma has his life and the life of those arounded him suddenly changed forever. An ill thought out plan by Shampoo, a unfortunate encounter with Ryoga, and a thirst for vengence is born. How can Ranma and her friends deal with these changes. Can Ranma ta
1. Unexpected Results 1&2

The characters here aren't mine, much as I wish they were.  
Please don't sic the law on me!  
RANMA 1/2 UNEXPECTED RESULTS 

by J Hunt

Colone was having a good day. Shampoo had taken the day off to spend sometime with the son-in-law,but the cafe hadn'tbeen overly buisy so she hadn't really been missed. Cologne had spent the day keeping an eye on Moussse and keeping the boy from leaving to interfere with her great granddqughter's fun. They had heard a rumor that Shampoo and the son-in-law had been seen walking hand and hand in the park that morning, and she had been forced to beat Mousse sensless to keep him from running off to challenge Ranma. They hadn't heard anything more about the couple since then and Mousse had attempted to slip out for more times, but all in all Cologne was still pleased. Yes, it had been a good day. Which was why Cologne couldn't understand the sense of impending doom that was creeping up on her.  
It was almost time for the dinner crowd to come in. A few customers were already seated and eating. Mousse was waiting for the ghoul to let down her guard so he could escape to go after his beloved Shampoo.

-Curse Ranma for trying to steal Shampoo's heart- he thouht to himself.  
-If he's done anything to my Shampoo, I'll make him regret it.-

He looked towards the ghoul and noticed she was no longer watching him.

-Heh, I'll make my escape now while she's distracted-  
Cologne watched as the blind boy smirked at the cat statue that was the cafe's mascot and then attempt to sneak out the door.

-Poor blind fool- she thought, and was about to club him with her cane when the door was thrown open. Before he could dodge, Mousse was thrown out of the way by an extremely upset Shampoo.

"Grandmother! Grandmother! Hide Shampoo!" exclaimed the young amazon, her voice filled with fear and desperation, her eyes wild.

"Slow down, child," Cologne said regarding Shampoo with consern. "What has happened?" "No time to talk," Shampoo said tears began to come to her eyes. "Shampoo do very bad thing. Shampoo no mean it to happen. If Airen find Shampoo..."

She didn't finish as she suddenly burst into tears. Cologne could only stare at her granddaughter.

"Don't worry, Shampoo," Mousse exclaimed. "If Ranma shows his face here, I'll make him regret it. I won't let him hurt you Shampoo."

"S-stupid-d M-mousse n-no understand," Shampoo crocked between sobs.

Cologne opened her mouth to try and calm her weeping granddaughter, but was cut off by a bellow of pure rage from outside.

"SHAMPOO, WHERE ARE YOU!" came a female voice so full of anger it verged on hate. Shampoo's face lost all color as the blood drained from it. She stopped sobbing, but her body still trembled.

"Ranma is here," she whispered.

"Go into the kitchen while I have a talk with the son-in-law," Cologne ordered.

"Ranma no will talk," Shampoo said her voice strangly resigned. However, she got up and slowly went to the kitchen anyway.

"Don't worry, Shampoo, I'll protect you." Mousse told her.

She turned to look at him for a moment then with a choked sob ran into the kitchen.

"Moko takabisha!" came a female voice from outside and the door was suddenly turned to splinters in an explosion of chi.

"Where is Shampoo?" asked female Ranma in a deadly cold voice as she steped through the ruined doorway. Mousse, who had managed to put his glasses on could only stare at his rival in disbelief. Her red hair, normally held in her trademark pig-tail, was hanging loose. Her red chinese shirt was only fastened in the middle, exposing her stomach and a good deal of her cleavage. Her face was a mask of cold fury, and her entire body gave off an angry red glow. Mousse took a step back.

"You seem distressed son-in-law," Cologne said seemingly uneffected by the sight.

"I've come for Shampoo," Ranma said through clentched teeth, staring Cologne dead in the eyes.  
"This is a matter of honor between the two of us and ain't none of your buisness, so stay outta my way."

"I won't let you hurt my bride," Mousse screamed and suddenly attached Ranma with a barage of thrown weapons. The red head dodged and turned to the chinese boy.

"I'm warning you Mousse," she said.  
"Die!" Mousse responded adn lounched another barage. Ranma agin dodged, then lept for Mousse.

Cologne watched in concern as Ranma attached Mousse with an intensity he usually saved for his battles with Ryoga. Mousse had nowhere near the lost boy's resilance nor endurance. Mousse never stood a chance. When Ranma finally let the boy fall senseless to the ground, there was blood on her hands and face. Ranma stared down at him a moment, then turned to the old amazon.

"He's hurt, but he'll live," she said. "I didn't really want to hurt him. Bring out Shampoo now, old ghoul, or else."

"Or else what, son-in-law?" Cologne asked flatly.

"Or else Mousse dies in her place," Ranma responded in an equally flat voice.

"No hurt Mousse," Shampoo said coming from the kitchen, her bonbari in hand.

"Shampoo go back in the kitchen this instant," Cologne hissed. Shampoo shook her head saddly.

"No. is matter of honor. Grandmother no interfere with fight." She looked at her grandmother with sad,hopless eyes. "Ranma come fight Shampoo, so we fight!"

Shampoo lept at Ranma. Ranma dodged and tried to sweep kick Shampoo, but the chinese girl avoided it. Ranma came to her feet and Shampoo struck at her again. Ranma caught the purple haired girl's wrist and sent a knee in to her stomach. She then punched Shampoo in the face, sending her into a table. Shampoo got to her feet just as Ranma launched her attack. As the two faught, it became obvious that Shampoo was fighting a losing, defensive battle. She was receiving far more damage than she gave. She tried to put some distance between them, but the red head would not give her room to breath. Shampoo was good, one of the best in her village. Ranma, however, was better.

A kick to Shampoo's midsection, another to her rib cage, and a last one to her chin sent her to the floor. She lay there trying to get back to her feet, but found she had no strenth left. At last, she turned to look up at Ranma, her eye that wasn't swollen shut begining to lose focus as darkness began to engulf everything.

"Ranma k-kill Sh-shamp-poo now, please?" she managed to get out.

Ranma looked down at the girl at her feet and began to gather her chi into a glowing ball.

"Sh-shampoo s-sorry what she did," Shampoo breathed as a tear roled down her cheek. The last thing she heard as she faded away was the one she loved giving name to her death.  
"Shi shi hokedon" Ranma screamed as the chi blast shot forward. End part 1

Ukyo sighed dejectedly as she worked behind the grill. Buisness had been slow, but that wasn't what had her down. Her Ranchan was gone. School had been cancelled for a week due to damages caused by Happosi's last attempt at raiding the girls locker room. Ukyo had planned to spend sometime with her fiance and even worked up the nerve to ask him if he would like to go to the amusment park with her. He had smiled that smile of his at her, and said he'd love to, and Ukyo's heart had almost burst with joy. She knew that to Ranma it had been his best friend asking him, but she didn't care. Ranma would be hers for an entire day, and who knew what might happen?

Ukyo had ten rushed out and done something completely unlike herself: she had bought a dress. True, it was nothing fancy, a simple blue dress with white trim, but when she had tried it on, she couldn't help but think of Ranchan and wonder what he would say. She had giggled, hardly recognising herself when she saw herself in the mirror. Yep, Ranchan was in for one heck of a surprise. So she had thought.

Ukyo sighed again. She wouldn't be wearing the dress anytime soon. Ranma and Akane, Ranma's uncute fiance, Ukyo of course being the cute one,had had one of their fights. From what Ukyo had heard, the fight ended with Akane in tears and Ranma storming off to train in the mountains for the rest of the week. He hadn't even called to cancel their date, the insensitive jerk. Ukyo know she should be angry, but she was to depressed. The door opened, and she automaticly turned to welcome the customer.

"Welcome to...", she began, then froze in shack at the sight of the short red head that stood in the doorway.

"Oh, my god! Ranchan, what happend?" she exclaimed as she ran to Ranma's side.  
The smaller girl's shirt was almost completely undone, and her eyes had a glazed empty look to them. Then, there was the blood.

"Y-you're hurt," Ukyo gasped sitting Ranma down at the counter, "I'm calling the hospital!"

Ranma shook her head.

"I'm fine, Ucchan," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ukyo picked up the phone and started dialing.

"Thats macho bull, Ranma," Ukyo said upset. "You're bleeding, there's blood all over you."

"I-it's not my blood, Ucchan," Ranma said with a catch in her voice.

Ukyo quickly hung up the phone and turned to stare wide-eyed at Ranma. She then looked around at the two or three of her customer there.

"We're closed," she said and ejected them as quickly and politely as possible. "Please come again."

She closed and locked the door, then walked over and took a seat beside Ranma.

"It's not your blood?" she asked. Ranma shook her head. She was staring at the floor.

"Whose blood is it?" Ukyo asked her breath constricting in her chest. Ranma took a ragged breath, but didn't look up.

"Mousse and Shampoo's," she said.

Ukyo paled.

"Ranchan, what happened?" she asked at last.

"I went to the Cat Cafe, and challenged Shampoo," Ranma replied in a small empty voice.  
"Mousse got in my way, so I-I hurt him. I didn't really want to, but he attacked me first."

Ranma let out a sigh and looked at her hands.

"Shampoo wouldn't come out, so I-I told her that if she didn't, Mousse would die in her place."

Ukyo gasped and stared at her fiancee in shock. That Ranma would issue a challenge to Shampoo was hard enough to accept. That she had planned to actually kill Shampoo, that was unthinkable.

"D-did she come out?" Ukyo asked timidly.

Ranma nodded. Ukyo felt sick.

"What happened?" Ukyo asked, not knowing if she really wanted to know the answer.

"We fought, and I won," Ranma said. "S-she asked me to kill her, b-but I couldn't, Uccan.  
She looked so pitiful, and it was her fault and I HATE her so much, but I just couldn't do it."

"Of course not, Ranchan," Ukyo said taking the smaller girl's hand. "That's not the kind of person you are."

Ranma gave a snort/laugh that made Ukyo whince. It wasn't a very sane sound.

"I wanted to, Ucchan, but at the end, she seemed so, so hopless. She wanted to die. I guess that's why I didn't kill her."

"Ranchan, what did Shampoo do to you?" Ukyo asked trying to understand the hate she heard in Ranma's voice. Ukyo knew hate. She had spent most of her life hateing and hunting Ranma and his father after Genma abandoned her. It had come close to ruining her life, and she didn't want that to happen to Ranma.

Ranma shivered at the question and her face became a mask of disgust, anger, and shame.

"I ain't gonna talk about it, she said. She then looked down at herself with a sneer of loathing.

"Mind if I use your bath, Ucchan? I been in this body longer than I like. And I wanna wash some of this filth off."

"Sure thing, sugar, go ahead."

Ukyo watched her go upstairs more than a little worried.

-May-be somebody at the Tendo's knows whats going on- she thought and picked up the phone.

Upstairs, Ranma had undressed and filled the bath with as water as hot as he could get it. She didn't bother to rinse off, just jumped right in. Her entire body momentarily submerged.

-Somethin ain't right- she thought as she came up. She looked down and saw her breast. She then screamed.

The phone had just started to ring when Ukyo heard Ranma scream.

"Ranchan!" she yelled and hung up the phone. She grabbed her battle spatula and dashed up the stairs. She threw open the bathroom door to find her small bathroom in ruins. In the center stood a naked, glowing girl-type Ranma.

"That lieing chinese tramp," she hissed and punched the wall causing a good sized hole. "This is another effect of that damn potion. Her, the ghoul, Mousse, Ryoga, they're all dead."

"R-ranchan, what's the matter?" Ukyo said from the doorway. "Calm down, sugar."

Ranma turned towards Ukyo with murder in her eyes. Ukyo took a step back and gripped her spatula tighter. Ranma growled and took a step forward.

"Ranchan, it's me, Ucchan," Ukyo said taking a defensive stance.

"Ucchan?" Ranma said and blinked. The glow around her dimmed slightly. Ukyo nodded. Ranma stared at her a moment trying to desided if this was a trick of some kind. Slowly, the glow faded and Ranma sank to her knees on the floor. Ukyo let out the breath she had been holding and relaxed.

"This just ain't been my day," Ranma said.

Ukyo just nodded. She was beginning to have doubts about her Ranchan's sanity.

"Sorry about your bathroom, Ucchan," Ranma said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it, sugar," Ukyo replied, half to comfort Ranma, and half to keep from setting her off again. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Ranma said bitterly.

"Oh..." Ukyo said. Ranma looked at her.

"Ukyo, I know you think I'm going nuts," she said. "But watch."

Ranma stood, and got into the half empty bath again. Nothing happened. It took Ukyo a moment to understand the situation.

"Y-you didn't change back into a boy!" she exclaimed. Ranma nodded grimmly.

Ukyo slumped against the door frame in shock.

"T-this is because of what Shampoo did to you?" she asked when she was able to talk again.  
Ranma nodded again.

Ukyo was silent for a moment, then looked at Ranma.

"Ranma," she said in a stern, cold voice. "I can't let you kill Shampoo, sugar."

"Oh?" Ranma said standing up staring at Ukyo coldly. Ukyo surprised Ranma with a smile.  
It was not a nice smile. 

"No, I can't, sugar," she almost purred, "cuss I'm going to kill her for this."

Ranma's smile matched Ukyo's perfectly.

"So, sugar, when do we start?" Ukyo asked.

"Right after we visit Doc Tofu," Ranma replied. "I wanna see if he can cure me, or if I'll have to beat a cure outta the old ghoul."

Ranma quickly got dressed, and the two of them let for Tofu's clinic.

End part 2

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	2. Unexpected Results 3

Okay, ladies and gents, these here characters ain't mine, I'm just borrowing them for a spell. So sit back, and I hope y'all like the story.

(Chinese)  
-thoughts-

Ranma 1/2 Unexpected Results Part 3

Cologne did not have much use for hospitals. She preferred the old methods of healing over the advancements of modern technology. She herself was a skilled healer, on par with many who claimed the title of doctor. However, when the ambulance arrived and they took her great-grand daughter and Mousse away, she followed silently. She had not spoken a word to the paramedics on the ride to the hospital, had offered no explanations. She just sat, her expression unreadable as they worked on the two teenagers. They had arrived quickly at the hospital, a cold, emotionless place to Cologne's way of thinking, where the problems of the sick were given assembly line cures for the ills of the body, but not of the soul.

A doctor had begun working on Mousse there in the Emergency Room. Cologne knew the boy's wounds looked much worse than they actually were and were not life threatening. Shampoo, however, had been rushed into surgery. Multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung, suspected skull fractures, serious internal injuries. One of the doctors had asked if it had been a car accident. That was the only thing he could think of to cause such wounds. Cologne had said nothing. The doctor had stared at her for a while and then walked away in disgust. To Cologne, this was a personal matter. She did not care what they thought. This was a matter of honor, as Ranma had said, and none of their business. The fools couldn't begin to realize that. She would not have let them take Shampoo had it not been for the fact that her hands were tied. Shampoo had asked her not to interfere, and had accepted a challenge to the death. Cologne could do nothing for her granddaughter until she either died or recovered. She could, however, do other things.

What had set Ranma off, she wondered. If the truth was known, Cologne was actually rather fond of the martial artist that her grandchild had chosen for her husband. She also felt that the time they were spending in Japan was being put to good use in expanding Shampoo's horizons. Now, however, things seemed different. While Ranma hadn't killed Shampoo out right, he had done enough damage that it was still a possibility. Matter of honor or not, if Shampoo died, Ranma Saotome would follow her to the grave not to long after.

It was a few hours after they arrived that a doctor came to her and said that Shampoo had been stabilized, and while she still wasn't out of the water yet, they expected her to live. Cologne nodded, her stony visage not betraying any of the relief she felt. The doctor then led her to Shampoo. The sight of her granddaughter almost broke the old woman's heart. They had her attached to tubes and blinking machines. One whole side of her face was swollen a purple that almost matched her hair. Cologne stood by her bedside, as the doctor quietly made his exit.

(Oh, my Shampoo,) Cologne said sadly reaching down to touch the girls face. (What could you have done to deserve this?)

(Gr-grand mother?) Shampoo whispered, barely opening her eye. Cologne looked at the girl in shock, then smiled. -We amazons are tougher than most people think.-

(I'm here child,) Cologne replied.

(Where am I? Where is Ranma?) Shampoo asked.

(You are in the hospital,) Cologne told her. (I do not know where the boy is.)

(Is Mousse okay?) Shampoo asked.

(He's fine,) Cologne assured her.

(So, I'm still alive?) Shampoo said. (I was sure that he would kill me.)

(Hush child,) Cologne said. (Rest and save your strength. We will deal with Saotome when you are healed.)

Shampoo moved her head slightly.

(No. I did something very bad grandmother,) she said. (I dishonored myself, our tribe, and the man that I love. This morning I when I left to find Ranma, I took a love potion I found in one of your scrolls to give to him...)

That morning in the park

"Niho Ranma!" Shampoo said happily. Ranma winced. He had just left the Tendo's a few hours ago to train in the mountains after a fight with Akane over this self-same amazon. He had spent the time since then in the park trying to decide which mountains to train in. He was tire, still slightly angry, and worst of all, had missed breakfast.  
To say he was not looking forward to seeing her was an understatement.

"Whadda want, Shampoo, I'm busy," he growled a little harsher than normal.

"Ranma take Shampoo on date today, yes?" Shampoo asked ignoring the tone of his voice.

"No, I don't think so," Ranma said and started to walk off. Shampoo shrugged.

"If Ranma no want cure for curse is fine by Shampoo then," She started to walk off, but was stopped when Ranma grabbed her shoulder. He turned her around to face him.

"What do you mean a cure?" He asked. Shampoo smirked and pulled out a vile of purple liquid.

"Ranma drink this and no turn into girl anymore," Shampoo said. Ranma gave her a sour look.

"You expect me to fall for that?" he asked. Shampoo smiled wider.

"Ranma, watch" she said and walked over to the fountain.

"W-what are you doing?" Ranma asked as she put her hand in the water. He got ready to bolt when she splashed herself, then stopped when nothing happened.

"How did.."

"Shampoo already drink cure, is how she know it work."

Back at the hospital

Cologne looked at Shampoo in shock.

(You found a cure?) she asked.

(No, I used the waterproof soap to fake that I was cured. I knew Ranma wouldn't take the potion unless he had proof it worked. I also knew he wouldn't trust me giving it to him for nothing. That's why I told him I would give it to him only if he spent the entire day with me.)

Cologne chuckled despite herself.

(That was a very clever plan, I am impressed.)

(Thank you, it was working until...)

The Park

"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!" shouted the boy with the bandana and umbrella as he leapt out of the bushes at Ranma and Shampoo as they walked hand and hand through the park. "How dare you date Shampoo when you have Akane, you two timer!"

"Geezz, this is all I need," Ranma said as he dodged the attack. "Ryoga, cool it, this ain't what it looks like."

"Shut up," Ryoga snapped, "I've seen you walking with your hands all over her, you lecher. I'll send you to hell for running around behind Akane's back."

"Man, you are a moron," Ranma growled, dodging more blows. "I have a very good reason for doing this if you would just hear me out for a sec."

"I said shut up! I won't listen to any of your lies!"

"Well listen to this, you idiot, Shampoo has a cure!"

"Yeah, right like I believe that one."

"See for yourself pig boy," Ranma shrugged.

Their fight had led them back to the fountain. Ranma leapt on the fountain and kicked some water out. Ryoga, of course dodged. Shampoo, however, didn't and was soaked. The fact that she had remained human wasn't lost on Ryoga. He gaped at her.

"She didn't turn into a cat!"

"Duh, moron, that's what I was trying to tell you. She has a cure! Now if you shut your yap and get lost, I might talk her into letting a loser like you have some."

"Really!" Ryoga asked then frowned. "Hey, wait a minute, who are you calling a loser?"

Shampoo was beginning to look a little nervous and clutched the vial with the potion tight.

"Sorry, Shampoo have enough for only one person and is for Airen," she said.

"What?" Ranma and Ryoga shouted at once, then turned to look at each other. Ryoga looked away first.

"Congratulations, Ranma," he said at last.

"Ryoga?"

"Well, at least one of us will be a whole man again," Ryoga said. "And if you can find a cure then there's hope for me to, right?"

"Ryoga, man, I-I don't know what to say," Ranma said. Ryoga just shrugged. Shampoo walked over to them.

"Is true? You no try take cure?" She asked.

"Of course I wouldn't," Ryoga said. "Why I, huh, oh hi there A-ka-ne, wh-what are you doing here?"

Ranma and Shampoo both turned around in surprise and found... nothing. Ryoga smiled evilly and snatched the potion out of Shampoo's hands.

"Hiya, stupid lost boy trick us!" she yelled as Ryoga laughed insanely. 

"Bwhaaaaa, so, who's the loser now, Ranma?" He asked and began drinking the liquid.

"Give that back!" Ranma shouted and lunged at Ryoga. He hit the lost boy, and tore the vial from him before he could drink it all. Ranma quickly downed the remainder of the liquid.

"That was mine!" Ryoga shouted and punched at Ranma. Ranma jumped back and landed on the rim of the fountain. Unfortunately, he landed on a wet spot, and slipped, falling into the fountain with a splash. Shampoo screamed.

"You stupid jerk," the now female Ranma sputtered as she stood. "There wasn't enough left to, to, huh?"

Shampoo looked from Ranma, who was starring at Ryoga, to Ryoga who was starring at Ranma and screamed again.

The hospital

(So,) Cologne said. (The son-in-law and the lost boy. I take it the potion took effect when they looked at each other?)

(Yes,) shampoo whispered. (I try to stop them, but they got ran away from me. I searched for hours, and when I found them...)

She burst into tears.

(They had been...intimate,) Cologne finished for her.

Shampoo sobbed.

(They where naked and asleep in each others arms when I found them.)

(Oh, child, this is a mess,) Cologne said.

(It, it gets worse,) Shampoo said. (The potion I used, it, it had already worn off of Ranma when she woke up. She saw me standing over them with the vile in my hand. She looked at me, and knew what I had done. I tried to apologize, but she wouldn't listen, so I ran. The potion is permanent on males, so Ryoga tried to calm her, he didn't understand why she was so angry. I heard him scream as I ran, but I don't know what Ranma did to him.)

Cologne frowned. A potion that was temporary on women, but permanent on men? There was only one she could think of, but that was.  
Cologne's eyes suddenly went wide.

(The Last Resort!) she gasped and looked at Shampoo. (Tell me you didn't use that one child!)

(I did.)

(And they BOTH drank it.)

(Yes.)

(And did you drink it.)

(Y-yes. T-this morning b-before I left.)

Cologne suddenly got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

(Granddaughter, do you realize what this means?) Cologne asked her voice grave.

(yes.) Shampoo whispered.

(I have to find Ranma,) Cologne said. (I pray the gods that by some miracle he was spared. Otherwise, you may well wish he had killed you, child. By our own laws, he would be justified to do so. You have used the Last Resort and failed miserably.)

(I was desperate,) Shampoo said. (It doesn't matter any more, nothing matters anymore. I have lost Ranma and I am no longer a true woman.)

Cologne looked down at Shampoo letting the sadness show on her face.

(I can do nothing to help the last part, but I maybe able to help Ranma if I find him soon enough. As for Ryoga, that's beyond my power even if I could find the poor fool.)

Cologne stayed with Shampoo until the girl drifted into unconsiousness, then left to try to find Ranma

Meanwhile, a few hours earlier at Doctor Tofu's Clinic...

Ukyo sat in hopeful silence as she watched Doctor Tofu examine Ranma.

"So, you're not changing back with hot water you say?" Doc Tofu asked.

"That's right Doc, do you think you can help me?" Ranma asked.

"Well first of all, I have to know what's wrong with you, let me see." He examined Ranma, and every so often poked at a pressure point. Finally, he poured a kettle of water over her and watched the reaction, or rather lack there of.

"This is very odd," he said at last. "Your aura is out of balance. Did something strange happen to you today that you need to tell me about?"

"S-strange, no no, nothing," Ranma replied anxiously.

"What about Shampoo," Ukyo said. "You said this was all the her fault, and you said something about a potion."

"Ranma, did you drink one of Shampoo's concoctions again?" Tofu sighed.

"Yeah sugar, what exactly did happen?" Ukyo asked. She had calmed down some on the walk to the clinic. Not that she wasn't still planning on killing the chinese bimbo, but she was thinking a little clearer and wanted a few answers. Ranma's face clouded with the same look of disgust, anger and shame that she had worn when she last asked her that question.  
"I told ya I don't wanna talk about it," She said darkly.

"Well if you want my help, I'm afraid you'll have to talk about it, Ranma," Tofu said. "We have to know exactly what we are dealing with."

Ranma looked from Doc Tofu to Ukyo, her eyes pleading with them not to make her. The look of vulnerability Ukyo saw on her Ranchan's face tore her heart. This was the great Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome School of Martial Arts. That Ranma would look so helpless and vulnerable was nearly a blasphemy in Ukyo's mind.

-If for nothing else,- she silently vowed, -Shampoo dies for that.-

Ukyo walked over and placed her hand on the smaller girl's shoulder.

"Tell us what happened, Ranchan," she said.

"Okay," Ranma said quietly, a tone of defeat in her voice that made Ukyo want to cry.  
"But you have to promise y-you won't hate me, Ucchan. And you can't tell anyone, not Pop, not Mr. Tendo, NOT Akane."

Ukyo was about to answer that she could never hate him, then thought about those ten long years she spent hunting him. But in truth, it had been Genma she hated then,  
not Ranma.

"I promise, sugar," she said.

Ranma took a deep breath and began his story. Not once did she look at either of her listener, her gaze remained fixed on the floor. If she had looked, she would have seen Doc Tofu shake his head sadly and look on with sympathy. She would have also saw the look of hurt and fury that was growing on Ukyo's face.

"... and so I ended up at Ucchan's and you both know the rest," Ranma finished. She couldn't bring herself to look at them. She could feel the anger and hate radiating from Ukyo and felt herself sink lower into depression. -I knew she'd hate me when she found out.-

"Ucch...I mean Ukyo," she said, "I understand if you hate me and don't wanna be friends anymore. I-I'm real sorry, god, you don't know how sorry I am. Y-you're my best-friend,  
my only real friend, and I never wanted to do anything to hurt you. I understand if you hate me now."

"Because of that, that BITCH," Ukyo said, "and that BASTARD Ryoga, he had no right... it was supposed to be ME not him! Damnit why? You're MY fiancé, and now... We were supposed to lose our virginity together, you and me. They took that from me."

Ranma looked up to see tears in Ukyo's eyes. 

"I'm sorry Ukyo," Ranma choked, tears coming to her eyes, "its all my fault. I am SO, SO sorry. If I hadn't..."

Ukyo slapped her.

"Don't you say that," Ukyo hissed. "Don't you ever say that it was you're fault!  
What happened might as well have been rape. It's the same as a guy slipping something in a girl's drink in a bar. This is Shampoo's fault!"

Ukyo couldn't take it anymore, and suddenly burst into tears and grabbed Ranma. Ranma was stunned for a moment, then put her arms around Ukyo and held her tight.

"I'm not Akane, Ranchan," Ukyo said at last, still clutching Ranma. "I don't automatically think the worst of you, and I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks, Ucchan," Ranma said her voice heavy with emotion.

It was already dark when they left Doctor Tofu's with instructions to come back the next day. The Doc had somethings he wanted to look into. So, they left, stepping out into the night.  
The two didn't really mind, the darkness fit their mood. They made there way to the Cat Cafe in silence, both thinking of what they would do when they got there. They found the restaurant dark. The door was missing, so getting side was no problem. There had been no need to block the doorway. Thieves knew better than to try to plunder the place.

"Looks deserted," Ranma said. Ukyo nodded.

"You sure did a number on this place, sugar," Ukyo said with some satisfaction looking at the destroyed dinning room at the large hole in the ceiling from Ranma's last chi blast. He had changed the target at the last moment. "Do you want to wait for them here?"

Ranma was about to speak when her stomach growled. Ranma winced. Ukyo smiled a little.

"Why don't we go back to the restaurant, and I'll cook you dinner?" Ukyo suggested. "We can start hunting for Shampoo tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess..." Ranma said. "Hey, Ucchan, can I stay with you tonight? I don't feel up to going home and dealing with Pops and those crazy Tendos tonight."

"You don't even have to ask, sugar," Ukyo said. "My house is your house."

The two of them left and headed back to Ucchan's. A few moments later, a small form on a cane appeared.

-I was hoping he would come back here,- Cologne said. -That just leaves the Tendo's, that young Doctor's place, and that Ukyo girl's restaurant. I'll try Tofu's first. I'm not welcome at the Tendo's or Ukyo's at the best of times.-

And with that, she leapt onto a near-by rooftop and made her way to the Clinic.

End part 3

Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. 


	3. Unexpected Results 4

Okay, ladies and gents, these here characters ain't mine, I'm just borrowing them for a spell. So sit back, and I hope y'all like the story.

(Chinese)  
-thoughts-  
Part 4

"Morning, Ranchan," Ukyo said from her grill as Ranma walked in. "I'm making you a special breakfast."

"Err, Morning Ucchan," Ranma replied, slightly red faced, "that, um, that smells good."

Ukyo smiled at Ranma, more from habit, though the comment had pleased her. They had not had a good first night together, but Ukyo understood. They had slept in the same bed. Ranma had protested at first, but Ukyo reminded her that they were both girls, and while Ranma may like girls, she didn't, so Ranma had nothing to worry about. Ranma had reluctantly accepted. Ukyo had suggested it because she felt that the smaller girl needed the closeness and acceptance, though she of course hadn't told Ranma this. Ranma had spent the night tossing and turning mumbling in her sleep, but she had quieted when Ukyo took her in her arms and held her, so the young chef didn't miss the sleep she had lost that much.

The two ate in silence, both lost in thought.

"You think Doc Tofu has found anything that can help us?" Ukyo asked at last.

"Doc's the best," Ranma said. "I'm sure he has."

The left after they finished, and Ukyo hung an "On Holiday" sign on her door. They then headed for the clinic. Doc Tofu met them at his door, a grim expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Doc?" Ranma asked nervously. "Do you know what's wrong with me?"

"Yes...," Tofu said.

"What is it?"

"I think the two of you should come inside," he said and led them in.

"Hello Ranma," a familiar voice said as they came in. Ranma hissed, and Ukyo drew her battle spatula.

"What are you doin here, old ghoul?" Ranma said glaring at the old woman.

"I'm here to help you," Cologne said. "I'm trying to repair some of the damage my great granddaughter caused with her little deception yesterday."

"Where is Shampoo anyway," Ukyo asked a gleam in her eye. "She has a lot to answer to me about."

"She is in the hospital," Cologne said. "I'll let her know you wish to see her when she is recovered."

"What did she do to me old ghoul," Ranma said, "and more importantly how do I cure it?"

"Shampoo used a potion known as the Last Resort," Cologne said. "It is called such because only the truly desperate are willing to face the consequences of its use. I had hoped to find that you had been spared the full effects of the potion, but I see that it wasn't so.  
We can be thankful that at least your love for Ryoga has worn off. I am sorry to tell you this, but all the symptoms point to the fact. I am afraid it will be a while before you are able to turn back into a man. There is no real cure, but after nature has run its course, you will return back to normal."

"How long before that happens," Ranma growled.

"About nine months," Cologne said looking very uncomfortable.

"Nine Months!" Ranma bellowed. "You mean I'm gonna be stuck as a girl for more than a half a year! No way, there's gotta be something I can do!"

"N-n-nine m-m-months?" Ukyo asked turning very pale. There was a loud clang as her spatula hit the floor. Ranma turned to stare at her in surprise, as Ukyo stared at Ranma in shock.

"Ucchan?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, my, god," Ukyo said, then seemed to freeze.

"Ucchan? Ucchan?" Ranma asked. She got no response so walked over the chef and waved a hand before her unblinking eyes. 

"I believe the girl has figured it out," Cologne said.

"Figured what out?" Ranma asked.

"Have a seat Ranma," Doc Tofu said.

"But..."

"Sit."

"Okay."

The doctor sighed.

"Cologne and I spent most of last night talking about this," Doc Tofu said. "The reason the Potion Shampoo used is called the Last Resort is because if it fails, the woman using it can no longer be married under amazon law, and is no longer even considered a real woman."

"What's that got to do with me," Ranma asked. Out of habit, Cologne whapped him on the head with her cane.

"Be quiet and listen," she said. Ranma glared.

"I'm about outa patients with you, old hag," Ranma said.

"I'm trying to get you to understand the situation, Ranma," Doctor Tofu broke in. "The girl who plans to use the potion first takes it herself. She then has twelve hours to give the potion to the man she wants and to , um, ah, seduce him. You see, the potion not only induces love and lust, it also acts as a super fertility enhancer. It boosts a woman's fertility level to the point that if she doesn't become pregnant with in twelve hours,  
she will become sterile."

"The potion works because after she becomes pregnant, the man then must marry her. In our tribe, however, a female who cannot bare children is not considered to be a true woman. They are looked down upon and scorned."

"That means that Shampoo..," Ranma said. Cologne nodded. "Well wish that I could say I was sorry, but what she's put me through, I got no sympathy for her."

Cologne and doctor Tofu looked at each other and then back at Ranma.

"There's something I don't think you're getting, Ranma," Tofu said.

"What's that, Doc?"

"The potion boosts fertility to the point that there is a 99 chance that the woman will get pregnant if she has sex during those twelve hours."

"Yeah, so."

"Ranma, think about it."

Ranma frowned.

-So what,- she thought. -The potion makes it easy for a woman to get pregnant. I don't see how that effects me. I mean I'm a guy...-

"No," Ranma said. "It can't be. I'm a guy, I can't be preg-gg-nne, erraahh. No, no way, it's a lie!"

"I'm sorry Ranma, but it is not," Cologne said. "The reason you cannot change back to your male form is because your body is protecting the child."

"No," Ranma said.

"I'm afraid she's right, Ranma," Tofu said, "I didn't think about it when you were here yesterday, but the answer was right there. You have the same aura as a woman carrying a child. I just didn't recognize it as that, because I didn't think of it."

"No, you're both lying!" Ranma screamed, her battle aura flaring. "This is some kind of trick, this can't be real! "

"As much as I wish that were so, I'm afraid it is all to real," Cologne said.

Ranma howled and dived at Cologne. Cologne jumped away and Ranma ended up destroying the table she had been standing on.

"It's a lie!" Ranma shouted again and threw a series of kicks at the old amazon, which she blocked. Ranma then threw a punch, which the amazon dodged. Instead of Cologne, she impacted on the wall, embedding her arm to the elbow. Ranma yanked her arm free, tearing a large hole in the wall. Ranma's brain had been overloaded and had shut down, taking with it all traces of rational thought and sanity. It had reverted to a more primitive level, where such things were no longer needed. All this older part understood was the desperation, panic, anger and fear it was feeling. It didn't matter why it felt like this, only that it did, and that the strange shriveled thing it was looking at was some how linked to the cause.

Ranma leapt at Cologne. Cologne jumped up and over Ranma, and tapped her on the head sending the girl into a shelf full of books, which collapsed on top of her. Before she could recover, Cologne hit a point on the back of the girl's neck sending her into unconsciousness. Cologne sighed, then leapt strait up as the blade of a spatula passed through the air where she had been standing.

-I was wondering when she would come around,- Cologne thought as she turned to face a seething Ukyo. Ukyo tried to smash the ghoul flat, but she dodged. Cologne twirled her cane to deflect the barrage of small throwing spatulas as she leapt away. 

-The girl has good reflexes,- Cologne mused as she dodged another swipe by Ukyo's weapon.

With a jab, and a twist with her cane, Cologne disarmed the girl, sending the spatula flying. Ukyo growled, and tried to grab the old woman. The next thing Ukyo knew, she was launched into the air and landed in the pile of books near Ranma. She tried to get to her feet, but her legs buckled, and she fell unconscious next to Ranma. Cologne looked at the two, then turned to the young doctor.

"Well, they took the news far better than I expected," she said.

"Yes," Doctor Tofu agreed. "My clinic. Is still standing."

Ranma moaned as she came awake. Her head was throbbing and she felt stiff.

"Oh, good, you're finally awake," a fimilar voice said, and Ranma sat up on the examination table and turned to face a young man.

"Doc?" Ranma asked and winced at the pain in her head. "What the heck happened? How did..."

"Hello again, Ranma," said another voice. Cologne. Suddenly everything came back to her, and Ranma jumped to her feet. She almost colapsed again as a wave of dizziness passed over her.

"Easy now, Ranma," The doctor said. "You hit that bookself pretty hard, and the pressure point Cologne used on you is going to leave you a little disorented."

Ranma blinked a few times, and noticed some of Ukyo's throwing spatulas embedded in the walls and her big one lying on the floor. She then noticed Ukyo on the table next to her.

"Ucchan!" She said and rushed to Ukyo's side, nearly collapseing in the process. "What did you do to her you old mummy?"

"Who are you calling a mummy," Cologne said indignatly. "The girl is fine. She should be waking up anytime now."

"You better hope so, cause if you hurt her..." Ranma let the threat hang. Beside her, Ukyo moaned and slowly opened her eyes. Ranma sighed in releif.

"Oh, my head," Ukyo groaned. "Anyone get the number of that truck?"

"It's okay, Ucchan," Ranma said.

"Ranchan, I had this horrible dream that you were a stuck a girl and..." Ukyo stopped as she realized where she was. "Ah, shit."

"I think that she is going to recover," Cologne said wryly. Ukyo sat up with Ranma's help.  
They both gave Cologne the evil eye. Cologne sighed.

"You still are not convinced of this are you former son-in-law," she said.

"I ain't pregnant," Ranma said. "And thats all there is to it."

"What reason would I have to lie?"

"To get back at me for putting Shampoo in the hospital," Ranma said.

"And don't think she's off the hook yet," Ukyo added. "She's still got to deal with me when she gets out, so don't go trying to sneak away when they're done with her."

"I take it that you are formally challenging Shampoo?" Cologne asked.

"Take it however you want to, sugar," Ukyo said.

Cologne nodded, then turned her attention back to Ranma.

"As for you, Ranma, if you do not believe me, then what of the young Doctor here, hmmm? Do you trust him?"

"Well...," Ranma said.

"I swear by all three thousand years of my amazon heritage that I am telling you the truth,  
Saotome," Cologne said.

"She is telling the truth, Ranma," Doctor Tofu said. "You are going to have a baby. I am sorry."

Ranma looked at both of them, her face contorted in anger. She clentched her fist and her battle aura began to glow. Then suddenly the glow faded, and her body went limp. The anger on her face was replaced by shame and hopelessness. She slumped down on the table beside Ukyo.

"Doc wouldn't lie to me, not about something like this," she said. "I, I guess this means I really am a freak."

"Oh, Ranchan," Ukyo said and put her arms around her. Ranma didn't resist as Ukyo pulled her close. She didn't say a word as the others talked. She didn't register what they were saying anymore than that sounds were coming out of their mouths. She wanted nothing more at that moment then to curl into a little ball and die. The anger was still there, but felt somehow detached, like a fire seen through a window.

She didn't say a word when Ukyo took her hand and led her out of the clinic. Ukyo, Tofu, and Cologne felt it would be best if Ranma stayed with Ukyo for a while instead of going back home. As they walked down the street, Ukyo put her hand around Ranma's shoulders to support and guide her. She was worried about her fiance. Ranma was taking this very hard, not that she herself was taking it all that well, and Ukyo was not use to Ranma acting so depresed. She did not like seeing her so hurt. When Ranma suddenly stopped, Ukyo looked at her anxiously.

"Ucchan, can you let go of me for a second," Ranma said quietly.

"Sure, Ranchan," Ukyo said letting go and stepping away. Ranma started breathing deeply,  
then took a deep breath and screamed. When she stopped screaming, she began to pace, and went into a semi-coherent tirade. Ukyo watched her rant and rave and felt relief flow through her. The other people on the street were giving them strange looks, and moving as far away from them as possible, but Ukyo didn't really care. To her, an angry Ranma was better than a depressed one. She waited patiently for the red head to calm down.

"... and take her bonbari and shove it where the sun don't shine!" Ranma finished at last, breathing heavily. She felt slightly better. -Maybe I should start breaking bricks like Akane does,- she thought. -That girl maybe on to something.-

"Feel better, sugar," Ukyo asked. Ranma nodded. "Good, but I'm sorry, sugar, Shampoo's mine. I will take all your suggestions into consideration, though to tell the truth, I don't know where I'm going to find rabid wombat."

Ranma nodded and Ukyo put her arm around her again. They were about to begin on their way again, when Ranma heard a voice that turned her blood to ice and make her heart want to stop.

-Please, god, not her, not now! Please anyone else but her!-

"Ranko?" the voice said again. 

-Ranko?- Ukyo thought, and felt Ranma stiffen, and could almost feel the other girl's temperature drop. She looked at the woman who was walking towards them. She was dressed in a kimono and was carrying something wrapped in a bundle. She looked very familiar to Ukyo, but she couldn't place her.

"Auntie Saotome," Ranma said putting on a forced smile, "What are you doing here?"

"Well," Nodoka Saotome said. "I was on my way to the Tendo Dojo when I heard this dreadful commotion and came over to see what was going on."

"Oh that, heh, heh, that was nothing," Ranko replied nervously. Nodoka looked at Ranko, and then at the other girl who had her arm around her.

"And who is your friend here, Ranko, dear?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah," Ranko said. "Auntie Saotome, this is my best-friend Ukyo Kuonji. Ukyo, this is my Auntie Saotome. She's Ranma's mother."

The girl, Ukyo, looked startled for a moment, the bowed politely.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Saotome," Ukyo said, and gave Ranko a curious look. Nodoka smiled to herself. She had always worried about the fact that Ranko didn't seem to have any friends. Ranko always appeared sad and lonely to her. Looking at the two of them, Nodoka could see that they were very close, and Nodoka wanted very much to hug the girl Ukyo and tell her how glad she was that she was Ranko's friend.

"Call me Auntie, dear," she said looking at the brown haired girl fondly. Ukyo blushed.

"Okay, um, Auntie Saotome," she said. Nodoka beamed.

"Well, since we've all meet, we can all walk to the dojo together," Nodoka said. She frowned when the two girls paled slightly.

"I'm afraid Ranma's not at the dojo, Auntie Saotome," Ranko said. Nodoka felt her happiness of a moment before begin to fade.

"I see," she said. Though she tried to hide her disappointment, it was clear on her face.  
Ranma couldn't take it. To much had already happened to her, and the sight of her mother's sadness was more than she could take. She grabbed Nodoka and squeezed her tight. Nodoka looked down at the girl in surprise, then embraced her back.

"Oh, my Ranko," she said fondly, "you are such a sweet child."

"I, I just don't like seeing you sad," Ranko said with a sniff.

-Is she crying,- Nodoka thought. -That's not like Ranko at all.-

She looked at Ukyo and saw the worry and concern on the other girl's face.

"Is something wrong, Ranko?" she asked stroking her fingers through the girl's hair.

"I just couldn't take you looking so sad," Ranko said. "I-l love you, Mo-Auntie Saotome"  
Nodoka squeezed her tight and kissed the girl on the top of the head.

"My dear, child," she said tears coming to her eyes. "And I love you too, Ranko."

Ranko pulled away enough to wipe her eyes, and looked up at Nodoka. She came to a decision then.

"Ranma's not home, Auntie," she said, "But Genma is. Ranma went on this trip by himself."

"My husband is home?" Nodoka asked surprised.

"Yes, Ma'am," Ranko said. Nodoka's face brightened a little.

"When we get there, why don't you let me go in first so you can surprise him?" Ranko said,  
and a strange smile appeared on her face. "I'm sure he would just LOVE the surprise."

"Well, if you say so, dear," Nodoka said. The three of them started for the dojo. The two girl held back a little whispering to themselves. Nodoka let them have their privacy for what she was obviously girl talk. She was so happy that Ranko had a friend she didn't want to intrude. Even if that friend appeared to be just as big a tomboy as Ranko. Nodoka smiled slightly. That just gave her two girls to work on.

Meanwhile, Ranma was filling Ukyo in on the whole situation.

"So," Ukyo whispered, "because of that Jackass Genma's promise to make you a 'man among men'  
if she finds out about your curse she'll make the two of you kill yourselves? Jeez, it sounds just like something he would do."

"Yup," Ranma whispered. "Just another thing my loving father has done to make my life hell.  
Everytime Mom comes over I become Ranko Tendo, and Pop becomes my pet Mr. Panda. I know she misses us, and I hate lying to her, but I sure as hell can't tell her the truth now.  
Pop, on the other hand, there's no reason HE can't spend time with her, at least. If it makes her happy, I tie him to a chair and force him to stay with her, but she is seeing him today."

Ukyo giggled evilly.

"He's not going to like that, Ranchan," she whispered smiling broadly.

"Well, it ain't about what he likes, it's about her," Ranma replied.

"You're preaching to the converted, sugar," Ukyo said. "Anything that Genma doesn't like is okay by me."

When they reached the Tendo's, they had Nodoka wait outside while they went in. Kasumi greeted them at the door.

"Why, welcome home Ranma," She said cheerfully. "Your home early, and you brought you little friend Ukyo too."

"Hi, Kasumi," Ranma said. "Say, where's Pop?"

"Mr. Saotome and father are playing go out back as usual," Kasumi said.

"Good," Ranma said with a smile.

"Who are you talking to Kasumi?" a female voice asked. Akane then walked in. She looked at Ranma and for a moment, relief flashed in her eyes, then she saw Ukyo and her expression darkened.

"What are you doing here," She asked angrily. "I thought you were supposed to be training in the mountains. What happened? Not enough girls there for you, you pervert."

Ranma winced. Ukyo looked at her rival and started to take a step towards Akane, but Ranma placed her hand on her shoulder and stopped her. Ranma gave Ukyo a pleading look, and the chef, with some difficulty reined in her temper.

"Nice to see you too, Akane," Ranma said. Akane looked from Ukyo to him and frowned.

-Something's going on here and I don't like it,- she thought.

"Kasumi, could you go get Pop for me," Ranma said. "I got something very important to tell him."

"Of course," Kasumi said and left. Ukyo and Ranma exchanged a look. Akane suddenly felt cold.

-The two of them didn't elope did they?- she thought, becoming very worried. Looking at them,  
she could see that they were standing very close to each other. -If they got married, I will kill him.-

Kasumi returned quickly with a curious Mr. Saotome and Mr. Tendo. Nabiki also followed in to see what was going on.

"Cutting your training early," Genma said. "Sloppy, boy, very sloppy. So, what did you have to tell me?"

Ukyo looked at Ranma, who nodded. Ukyo then walked over to Genma and took his arm. Everyone,  
especially Genma looked at her in shock.

"Pop," Ranma said in a very sweet and girly voice. "I have someone very important I want you to meet."

"Oh," Genma said and gulped. Ranma nodded and went back out side.

"Saotome, what is the meaning of this," Soun asked looking at Ukyo.

"I have no clue, Tendo," Genma replied.

"Don't mind me, honey," Ukyo said. "I'm just here to lend my good friend Genma moral support."

-And to make sure he doesn't bolt,- she thought with a smile.

The door suddenly opened, and Ranma walked in, followed close behind by Nodoka. Everyone in the room stared in open mouth shock, except for Ukyo, who smiled, and Genma, who having no where to hide did the next best thing. He fainted.

Lunch that day was for the most part a very nervous event. Nodoka sat next to Genma fussing over him and asking him about their son as he laughed nervously and scratched his head. Every so often he shot Ranma and Ukyo dirty look. Those two ignored him. They sat side by side with identical smug expressions as they ate. Everyone else sat waiting for the explosion.

"This is very good, Kasumi," Ukyo commented as she ate.

"W-why thank you," Kasumi said. Even she was feeling the pressure.

"Say, Uncle Saotome," Ranko asked. "Why don't you tell Auntie about some of the training you and Ranma did."

"Yes," Nodoka said with a smile. She wanted to hear all she could about her son. Genma big sweated.

"I, errr, I don't thing you would find them very interesting, No-chan," he said.

"Oh, come on Uncle," Ranko said with a malicious smile. "Why don't you tell her about how you taught him the Cat-Fist. That's a real good story."

"Hey, yeah," Ukyo joined in. "And then you can tell her how I met you and Ranma the first time.  
I think she would be really interested in that."

"Or you can tell her about China," Ranko said. "Didn't you say you and Ranma saw some very interesting things there?"

Nodoka looked at her husband hopefully. Genma looked close to panic.  
Ukyo snickered, while the Tendo's looked at her and Ranma in shock.

"I, um, well, that is, um," Genma sputtered.

"Auntie, can you give me more cooking lessons while your here," Akane said. Nodoka turned to her and smiled. Genma gave her a worshipful gaze for the rescue.

"Of course I can dear," Nodoka said. "Ranko, Ukyo, would either of you like to join us?"

"That's okay, Auntie," Ukyo said. "I know how to cook. I own and operate my own restaurant."

"Really," Nodoka said in surprise.

"Yeah, Ucchan's one of the best cooks I know," Ranko said. Ukyo blushed and punched Ranko in the shoulder.

"Stop it, Ranchan," she said. "You're embarrassing me."

"But its true, Ucchan."

Akane seethed. -How dare they carry one like that, right in front of my face no less!-

Nabiki, who was sitting next to her sister, looked at Akane and slid a little further away.

"Ranko, dear," Nodoka said. "Where your pet Mr. Panda. I brought him some nice bamboo to eat."

"Why, I have no idea?" Ranko said innocently looking around as if just noticing he was gone.  
"Uncle Saotome, do you know where he is? It would be so TERRIBLE if anything has happened to him."

"Tragic," Ukyo agreed.

"Yeah, Uncle," Nabiki said. You to Nabiki, the look Genma gave her said.  
She just shrugged. No use letting Ukyo and Ranma have all the fun.

"He, he went with Ranma," Genma said at last finding inspiration. "The mountain air is very good for Pandas."

After they finished eating, they all sat around drinking tea. Genma looked at the silent Ranko and Ukyo and wondered what new torture they were planning for him. Nodoka was also looking at the two girls.

"So tell me, Ukyo," She said. "How do you know my son?"

Ranko and Ukyo looked at her uncertainly for a moment. Genma smirked now that the tables were turned.

"Ranma and I met when we were kid," Ukyo said. "But he... moved away. I met him again when I started school here. He, Akane, Ranko, and me are in the same class. He and Ranko are my best friends."

"I see," Nodoka said. -So she's friends with both of them. I think I will like this girl-  
"As one of his friends, can you tell me about my son?"

Ukyo reddened, and Ranko suddenly looked very nervous.

"Um, okay, Auntie," Ukyo said and she began to tell Nodoka about Ranma. As she talked, Nodoka frowned slightly. The girl was describing Ranma more as a girl talks about the man they love than about a friend. Nodoka glanced at Akane and saw that she was glaring at Ukyo and gritting her teeth.

-Ah,- Nodoka thought. -I see.-

When Ukyo finished, Nodoka looked at her thoughtfully.

"Ukyo, dear," she said. "You do know that Ranma and Akane are engaged, don't you?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Ukyo said and shot Genma a murderous glance. 

"And how do you feel about that, dear," Nodoka said. Ukyo thought for a moment, then looked at Akane.

"I've told Akane before that I don't plan on changing my, relationship, with Ranma," she said.

The two girls stared at each other, both refusing to look away. Nodoka frowned.

-This situation will need looking into,- she thought.

"Ranko," she said. "What do you think about Akane and Ranma getting married."

All eyes turned to a Ranko who was trying to sink into the floor.

"Yes, Ranko," Mr. Tendo said giving her a don't-you-dare-pick-Ukyo-over-my-baby look.

"Yeah, 'Ranko'," Akane growled.

"I, I really don't have a opinion on the matter," Ranko said.

"Come on, Ranko," Nabiki said smiling. "You must have something to say."

Silently, Ukyo placed her hand on Ranko's and gave it a squeeze. Akane turned red.

"Ranko no baka!" she shouted, and threw the thing she was holding at Ranko. It was only after it had left her hand that Akane realized she had been holding a cup of hot tea.  
Ranko shrieked as the hot liquid splashed all over her.

"What'd you do that for you stupid, violent tomboy?" Ranko said jumping to her feet.

"Akane," Nodoka said frowning at her. "You could have burned your cousin."

"Yeah," Ukyo said standing up. "You okay, Ranchan."

"Yeah, but I got to go change clothes now," she said giving Akane a hostile look.

"Come on, sugar, I'll go with you." And the two of them left.

"I'll be up in a moment, too," Nodoka said. -I'll pick something more feminine to wear. If I let her choose, she'll probably come down in boy's clothes again.-

She turned around to find the Tendos and her husband all lying on the floor.  
-Did I miss something? -

End Part 4 


	4. Unexpected Results 5

Alright, you know the drill, these characters arn't mine, don't call the cops.  
(S'not like I'm make'n any money offa this or noth'n)

Part 5

"Well, that was fun," Ukyo said as she leaned against the wall in Ranma's room. "I wonder what they thought when you didn't change?"

Ranma shrugged. Outside, Nodoka had was just about to knock.

"Have you thought what you're going to tell them?" She heard Ukyo ask.

"I got no clue," She heard Ranko sigh, and froze. She felt momentarily guilty about ease dropping, but curiosity over came her, and she knew the girls would stop talking if she came in.

"It's not something you can hide for long, sugar," Ukyo said. "They're going to want an explanation."

"Yeah, but with 'Auntie Saotome', here, I'll have some time to think of something to tell them."

"What are we going to do about all this, Ranchan?"

"What CAN I do, Ucchan," Ranko said angrily. "I sure as hell didn't choose for this to happen.  
Damn Shampoo and her potions, damn Ryoga. I should have killed Shampoo when I fought her at the Cat Cafe."

Nodoka gasped in shock, but quickly covered her mouth. Neither girl seemed to hear.

"I told you, Ranchan, Shampoo is mine. I've already set it up with the ghoul."

"Ghoul?" Nodoka thought. "And who is this Shampoo girl? What are these two involved in?"

Ranko grunted.

"Just remember, the old ghoul is tricky. Those amazons have a lot of secret techniques, and Shampoo is her granddaughter. There's no telling what Cologne has taught her."

"So the ghoul is really some old amazon woman and is this Shampoo's grandmother," Nodoka mused.

"Don't worry about it, sugar," Ukyo said. There was a pause.

"Um, Ranchan," Ukyo said at last, her voice thoughtful. "After you zoned out at Doctor Tofu's we all talked, and well, there is something you can do."

"Cologne has a potion that would, uh, rid you of your problem," Ukyo said.

"Problem?" Nodoka thought.

"I don't trust amazon potions, Ucchan," Ranko said. "And I don't trust Cologne."

"I told her that, but well she did have and idea," Ukyo said slowly. "There are doctors that do that type of thing, girls get in this type of trouble all the time, and well no one would ever know about it."

There was silence.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Ucchan," Ranko said at last her voice quiet.

"Ranchan," Ukyo said, not sounding very happy. "I will support you no matter what you do, I want you to know that, but I know you don't really what to go through this. Do you really want to be a mother?"

Outside, Nodoka froze.

"It's not like you CHOSE to have sex with Ryoga," Ukyo continued. "You did it because of that love potion Shampoo gave the two of you, and I swear to you she is going to pay. It's not your fault you got pregnant, you had not choice in the matter. But you can choose not to have the baby."

"This is not a decision one should be rushed to make," Nodoka said stepping in the room. Both girls looked at her in shock. Ranko whimpered and shrank back. Ukyo stepped in front of her protectively. Nodoka looked at the two of them sadly.

"Ukyo, dear," Nodoka said seeing that Ranko looked close to panic and in no shape to talk, "would you please explain to me what exactly is going on."

"None of this is Ranchan's fault," Ukyo said defensively. "This has been harder than you can imagine on her, and I'm not going to let anyone make it worse by blaming her."

"You love Ranko very much don't you?" Nodoka asked with a slight smile.

"Yes, Ma'am," Ukyo said with out even blinking.

"It's Auntie," Nodoka said. "I am glad to have met you, Ukyo Kuonji, and I am glad Ranko and my son have a friend like you. I too love her very much, as if she was my own daughter. I'm not here to blame her, I just want to understand what happened."

Ukyo relaxed, but Ranko behind her still shivered.

"A girl named Shampoo, who is in love with Ranma, gave Ranko and a boy we know named Ryoga a love potion. She did it thinking that it would help her catch Ranma. While under the effects of the drug, they had sex. Ranko became pregnant. One of the side effects of the drug was that it made it 99 sure that it would happen. The potion is not permanent on females, so when Ranko woke up she was no longer in love with Ryoga. She had a fight with Shampoo, and Shampoo is now in the hospital. We just found out today about the full effects of the potion and Ranko's condition from Cologne, Shampoo's great-grand mother. As far as I am concerned, Shampoo raped both Ranko and Ryoga."

"I see," Nodoka said. "And what did you mean by Shampoo being yours?"

"I've challenged Shampoo to a duel, and Cologne has accepted," Ukyo said. 

"A duel?" Nodoka said. Ukyo looked uncomfortable. "There is more to it than that isn't there?"

Ukyo looked at Ranko, then back to Nodoka.

"Yes, Auntie," Ukyo said. "It's to the death."

Ranko looked at Ukyo in shock.

"And you would do this for Ranko?" Nodoka asked.

"For Ranko, or Ranma, yes Auntie."

"I say again that I am very glad to have met you, Ucchan," Nodoka said. "We shall begin your training tomorrow. Depending on how serious Shampoo's injuries are we may not have long. Do you have any experience with the katana?"

"No, Auntie," Ukyo replied stunned. "Y-you're going to train me?"

"Yes, if that is alright with you."

"Oh, yes, of course, thank you, sensei."

Ukyo bowed. Nodoka smiled at her, then turned to Ranko. The look of fear on Ranko's face made Nodoka's heart ache. 

"Come here, Ranko," Nodoka said. Ranko stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights and shook her head. Nodoka walked towards her, and the girl retreated a few steps back. 

"Ranko," Nodoka said pleadingly. She reached her hand up to touch the girl's face. Ranko flinched back. "Child, what's wrong?"

"Please don't hate me, Auntie Saotome," Ranma said.

"Why would I hate you child?" Nodoka said stepping towards her. Ranma backed away again.

"Cause what I did was bad," Ranma said, "because I'm dirty, and nasty and a pervert."

"That not true, Ranko," Nodoka said. She tried to touch the girl again, and again Ranko flinched away.

"But I didn't try to stop him," Ranko said a hint of desperation in her voice. "I knew what was going t happen, but I didn't try to stop him. I even, oh god, I even ENJOYED it.  
I'm not good enough to be around people like you and Ukyo and Akane. I'm trash, I'm dirt,  
I'm..."

She didn't finish because Nodoka had grabbed her and held her in a tight embrace. Ranma struggle at first, then clutched her mother and began to sob.

"It's okay, child," Nodoka said, tears in her eyes. "Shhhh, everythings going to be fine child."

Ukyo came over and hugged Ranko's back. She was also sobbing.

"Damn it, Ranchan," Ukyo said between sobs, "I told you it wasn't your fault."

"She's right, dear," Nodoka said. "You were under the influence of the drug. It wasn't really you."

"But," Ranko said turning to look up at Nodoka.

"No buts," Nodoka said fiercely. "Look at me, Ranko. You did nothing wrong, the blame lies with this Shampoo," Nodoka spat the name with distaste.

Ranko's sobs quieted, but she didn't let go off her mother.

"Thank you for not hating me," she said.

"Oh, my, child," Nodoka said, "I could never hate you."

The three sat embracing for a while. Then Nodoka separated them.

"Now I take it that no one else knows about this?" She asked.

"Just the three of us, Doctor Tofu, and Cologne and Shampoo," Ukyo said.

"Good," Nodoka said. "This is a family matter and is no one elses business. Now we had best decide on how to break the new to the others down stairs."

Ranko and Ukyo paled.

"Do we have to tell them?" Ranko asked.

"I'm afraid so, Ranko."

"We can't, they'll all hate me!"

"Ranko, we just went over this..."

"You don't understand, Auntie," Ranko said, "You know how Akane is no matter what the truth is she'll blame me."

"I agree with Ranchan, Auntie," Ukyo said, "You know how Akane honey is."

Nodoka frowned and thought for a moment. As much as she hated to admit it, they were probably right about Akane.

"It will be hard for them, but eventually I think they will understand," she said not ready to give up yet.

"But if I tell them, they'll, um they'll make, me marry Ryoga," Ranko lied at last. Ukyo shivered at THAT thought. 

"Over MY dead body they will." she thought. Nodoka looked thoughtful.

"That maybe for the best," she said. "He is the father of your child after all."

"No way will I marry Ryoga," Ranko said in a panic. Me and my big mouth, she thought. "I'll die before I marry him. Before he drank the love potion one of his major goals in life was to KILL me."

Nodoka looked at her in shock, then turned to Ukyo.

"It's true, Auntie," Ukyo said. "Ryoga was in the middle of attacking Ranko when Shampoo gave them the potion."

Nodoka frown.

"That does change the situation a bit," she said, "but to help save you honor, Ranko, it would be best to marry you before the child is born."

"I/She isn't marrying any guy," Ranko and Ukyo said in unison. Nodoka looked at them.

"Auntie Saotome, there's something you should know about Ranko," Ukyo said. "She doesn't like boy."

"That okay," Nodoka said. "She's a tomboy. Most tomboys don't like boys."

"Auntie, I mean she doesn't LIKE boys," Ukyo said. Ranko, who had been tring to figure out what Ukyo was doing final caught on.

"I'm a lesbian, Auntie," Ranko said. Nodoka looked at her I shock, then turned to Ukyo.

"I see," she said. "Are the two of you..."

They both blushed.

"Ukyo likes boy," Ranko said. Nodoka frowned, and sighed.

"And I guess the others don't know about that either," she said. Suddenly she pulled Ranko close again. "Oh, Ranko, whatever am I going to do with you?"

She gave a bemused laugh.

"This is turning out like something in a soap opera," She said. "Alright, Ranko. We won't tell them tonight. However, I am giving you one week to tell them, or I will. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Auntie," Both girls said.

"Good, now lets go back downstairs."

Downstairs a conference had been call. While Nodoka was gone, the Tendo's and Genma were dicussing what had happened. The conversation died when Nodoka, Ranko, and Ukyo came back in.

"Soun," Nodoka said. "I have a favor to ask. Would you mind if I stayed here for a few days?"

"N-no, I would be delighted," Soun said.

"Good," Nodoka said. "Oh and Ukyo will be staying with me tonight as well, if you don't mind.  
I plan to begin training her in kendo tomorrow."

"Umm, Ummm, Ummm," Soun said. His brain had shut down.

"We would bedelighted," Kasumi said. She was at the moment the only member of the household who still had the ability to speak.

"Good, it's settled then," Nodoka said. And so began what would be a very long week.

End Part 5 


	5. Unexpected Results 6&7

Ranma 1/2

Unexpected Results

Part 6

"All right, Ranma," Akane said, "just what the heck is going on here?"

"Yeah, Saotome," Nabiki said, "spill it."

"Fess up, boy," Genma said, "this is all some plan to send me to an early grave. Oh,  
that you would do such a thing to your own father breaks my heart."

Nodoka had just left with Kusumi to the store to pick up a few items for dinner.  
That left Ranma and Ukyo alone to face the others. Now that Mrs. Saotome was safely away, they decide it was time for some answers. Ranma looked at them and frowned. She felt on edge, and emotionally drained. She did not feel like being interrogated, and wished they would just leave her alone. As she looked at them, though it wasn't really rational, she began to get angry.

"Well?" Akane asked.

"Well what," Ranma snapped. "I just thought that maybe Auntie would like to see her husband, even if he is a pathetic excuse for one."

"Insolent boy," Genma said, "show some respect!"

"Why don't you make me, old man," Ranma growled.

"Stop it now, you two," Ukyo said stepping between them before blows could be exchanged. Ranma looked at her for a moment, the looked away. "We met Auntie Saotome on the street, and she looked so sad that Ranchan decided she needed cheering up so we brought her here to see Genma."

"Okay," Nabiki said looking at Ranma. "That explains that, but why didn't you change back when Akane threw that tea on you, Ranma?" 

Ranma glared at her. 

"I did change," she said. "Do you see any tea stains on my clothes? What do you think I went upstairs for. And why the hell does everybody keep calling me Ranma? My name is Ranko Tendo, or did you all forget?"

Everyone looked at her stunned. Ranma gave them all a satisfied smirk.

"You don't really believe that do you?" Akane asked. Ranma winced at the sound of concern in Akane's voice.

"No, but, jeez, I've had a really bad day and I don't need this right now," Ranma said.

"You, jerk. That wasn't funny," Akane said. Ranma shrugged indifferently, causing Akane to growl.

"Well," Nabiki said, "if you've got that out of you're system now, why don't you answer the question?"

Ranma looked at Ukyo.

"I kind's drunk a potion of Shampoo's and..." Ranma began but was interrupted when the others all spoke at once.

"You what!" Akane yelled.

"Oh Ranma, Ranma, Ranma," Nabiki said. "I can't believe you fell for another one of Shampoo's amazon stunts."

"Come now, son," Soun said with a tsk. "You really should have known better."

"Foolish, boy!" said Genma. 

"Hey," Ranma defensively, "I thought it was a cure for my curse."

"Shampoo used the waterproof soap to trick him that she was cured," Ukyo said. She had heard the full story from Cologne. "It wasn't Ranchan's fault."

"So let me guess," Akane said with a sigh, "they won't give you the cure to change back until you agree to marry Shampoo. Honestly, sometimes I can't believe what an idiot you can be."

Akane expected Ranma to make a snide come back, instead, a hurt look came into the red headed girl's eyes, and she looked away obviously hurt by the comment. Akane, feeling a little guilty, was about to apologize, when Ukyo put her hand on Ranma's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Instantly, all the guilt died in a stampede of anger.

"So, tell me son," Soun said. "What do you plan to do about this situation."

"I'm not sure yet," Ranma said quietly, a troubled expression on her face.

"Maybe we should call Doctor Tofu," Genma mused.

"Good idea Saotome," Soun said. "I'm sure that the doctor will be able to help."

"We've already been to see him," Ukyo said. "He said that Ranchan's...condition...is only temporary."

Everyone looked surprised.

"Really?" Akane asked. "How long will it last."

Ranma and Ukyo looked very uncomfortable.

"Only a few months," Ranma said.

"A FEW MONTHS," they all yelled at once. Soun and Genma both started crying, Akane looked ready to break something, and Nabiki frowned.

"That doesn't make sense," Nabiki said. "Why would Shampoo do something like that? I mean what would she have to gain? She's made it quit obvious in the past that she's not very fond of your girl form. It doesn't add up. I could understand if you had to marry her to get a cure, but why do it if it's only temporary?"

"There's something about this they're not telling us," Nabiki thought as she watched Ukyo and Ranma's expression. "Those two are definitely hiding something."

"Why does that bimbo ever do anything," Akane fumed. "Someone should teach her a lesson."

Ranma and Ukyo shared a look. Nabiki noted it, and added to her mental list.

"That's already taken care of, sugar," Ukyo said.

"What do you mean be that?" Akane asked curiously.

"I've challenged Shampoo to a duel," Ukyo said. "That's why Auntie is training me."

"You what?" Akane asked.

"I challenged Shampoo to a duel," Ukyo repeated. 

"So," Nabiki asked thinking of the many possibilities. "When is the fight scheduled?"

Ukyo shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "It all depends on how long it takes Shampoo to get out of the hospital."

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"Wh-what's she doing in the hospital?" Akane asked. Ukyo said nothing. They all turned to look at Ranma. Ranma looked away from them.

"Ranma," Akane said staring at the girl, her eyes wide. "You didn't fight Shampoo did you?"

Ranma flinched.

"Yeah, I fought her," Ranma said. Even after what Shampoo had done, Ranma didn't like admitting she had fought a girl. Especially since she had almost killed her.

"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Akane asked.

"She's in the hospital ain't she," Ranma snapped. "Look it's her fault I did it. If she hadn't trick me, I wouldn't of, she wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Ranma refused to feel guilty for hurting Shampoo. It was her fault after all. Even Cologne had agreed that Shampoo was to blame. Ranma was fully justified in what she had done. So there was nothing for Ranma to feel guilty about, right? Ranma grimaced and looked at the others pleadingly.

"Can we please stop talking about this," she said. "It's all in the past and there's nothing we can do about it now. Even if we wanted to."

Though the others still had questions, it was obvious looking at Ranma and Ukyo that no more answers would be gotten from them. So the matter was dropped for the moment. A short time later, Nodoka and Kasumi returned and began making proportions for dinner. Mrs. Saotome asked Akane if she still wanted a cooking lesson that night, but much to everyone relief, Akane declined. That Akane would turn down a chance at a cooking lesson showed just how disturbed and worried she was. Akane spent that evening covertly watching Ranma and Ukyo. Both of them were acting strange. Ukyo was practically hovering over Ranma, and was constantly squeezing her hand, or putting her arm around the smaller girl's shoulder. Instead of the feel jealous like she normally would, Akane found herself becoming more and more worried as she watched the two and couldn't figure out why. Ranma, for her part, was much more subdued than normal. During dinner, she even allowed Mr. Saotome to steal some of the food off of her plate with out a fight. Akane began to feel a cold ball of dread forming in the pit of her stomach.

Akane was not the only one to notice that something was not right. Nabiki had spent the evening watching everyone. That something had been left out of the story that Ranma and Ukyo had told them was apparent, and Nabiki was a fire with curiosity. She noted the strange behavior between the two, and the surprising fact that her sister had yet to go ballistic and knock Ranma into the next town. Being the expert in observation that she was, she even noticed the discrete looks that Nodoka was giving her disguised son.

"So," she mused. "Whatever's going on, Auntie Saotome knows the other half of this story, and from the way she's looking at Ranma it's something that's got her pretty upset. Now it can't be the fact that he can't turn back into a boy, because she doesn't know about that. And Ranma hates being a girl, but not enough to put Shampoo in the hospital, I mean it's not the first time an amazon has done this to him. I'm missing a very big piece of this puzzle."

Nabiki decided to do some snooping into the matter later.

The Hospital

Mousse squinted at the sign on the door of the hospital room. One of his eyes was swollen, and he had bandage on his nose that prevented him from wearing his glasses. Satisfied that he had the right room, he opened the door and walked in. There were two beds in the room. He walked over to the one by the window. He stood for a moment and listened to the breathing of the figure on the bed.

"Sleep well my darling," Mousse said taking Shampoo's hand and placing it placing it over his heart. "I swear that I will avenge you."

He gave her hand a squeeze and frowned.

"I never knew her hands were so large and callused," he thought to himself and then shrugged.

He looked down at her again and a thought accrued to him. He gave a nervous laugh.

"Of course a kiss might help me on my way," so saying he bent down and planted a kiss on the figures lips. It was at that moment that the figure woke up.

Cologne was making her way down the hall, when all of a sudden she heard a familiar voice yell pervert and then Mousse came crashing out of one of the doors and was imbedded in the wall across the hall. Cologne turned towards the ruined doorway.

"What's the big idea kissing me you pervert," said a black haired boy wearing a hospital gown and a black and yellow bandana. "And where the heck am I anyway?"

"Ryoga," Cologne said in shock, then thought to herself. "Well, well, who would have thought that the lost boy was right next to my grand daughter the whole time."

Ryoga looked at Cologne, then looked around in confusion.

"The ghoul?" he said. "But this doesn't look like the Cat Cafe?"

Cologne bonked him on the head with her can. Ryoga just winced and rubbed his head.

"Who are you calling a ghoul," she said. "And you're in the hospital."

"Hospital?" Ryoga repeated and then looked down at himself and screamed.

"Where are my clothes," he said.

"Calm down boy," Cologne said.

"That's easy for you to say," Ryoga said. "Your not standing around half dressed."

Cologne whapped him again. Ryoga rubbed his head.

"If you are finished," she said sternly, "then we must talk about what happened between you and Ranma."

Ryoga's eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh my god, Ranma," he said. "Has something happened to her? Where is she? Is she okay?"

Cologne stared at him and sighed.

"I guess it was too much to hope that the potion would have worn off," she thought.

"Perhaps it would be best if we talked in private," Cologne said as the hospital staff and a few of the patents began gathering in the hallway to watch.

"I knew it," Ryoga said. "She's in trouble isn't she?"

"Well, in a manner of speaking, yes, but..." Cologne began, but didn't finish because Ryoga was suddenly looming over her.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"She was with Ukyo the last I saw her," Cologne said. "Ryoga, there is something you should know..."

Cologne found herself talking to air.

"Don't worry Ranma, I'm coming!" Ryoga yelled as he took off down the hall, his gown flapping in the breeze. The girl he loved was in trouble, so he wasn't going to sit around waiting for something as trivial as the details of the situation. What was called for was action!

"Wait you fool!" Cologne called after him, but Ryoga was oblivious to her. He was also totally oblivious to the walls he was crashing through on in his attempt to make it out of the hospital. He was a man with a mission, and he was not going to be held back by such simple things as walls and common sense. Of course that he was also going in the opposite direction of Ucchan's, where he assumed Ranma was, was a given.

"I hope this hospital has good insurance," Cologne mused as she looked down the newly formed hallway. "At least we are on the first floor so we don't have to worry about the fool falling to his death when he finally makes it out."

"Oh, Sh-shamp-poo, how can you b-be so cruel," Mousse said as he crawled up beside Cologne. He looked up at her, the fainted. Cologne looked down at him and sighed.

"Ancestors save me from love sick fools," she said and grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into Shampoo's room.

"Grandmother, that you?" Shampoo asked as Cologne entered.

"Yes child, it is me."

"What was noise outside?""

"It appears that the lost boy was here in the hospital the entire time. What you heard was him leaving in search of Ranma. With his sense of direction it should be awhile before we see him again."

Cologne plopped Mousse on to a nearby chair.

"How are you feeling today, child?" Cologne asked as she came to Shampoo's bedside.

"Shampoo feel like she it by truck," Shampoo replied weakly. "Doctor, he say it amazing Shampoo still alive. He say Shampoo live, but it be long time before can leave hospital."

Cologne sighed and nodded.

"Shampoo there is something that we need to discuss," She said. "Our fears have proven true: Ranma is indeed with child. Needless to say she did not take the news very well. The girl, Ukyo, was with her when we found out and hopefully she will be able to console the former son-in-law. Well, to make a long story short, Shampoo, you have been challenged to a fight to the death."

Shampoo nodded. She did not look surprised, just strangely relieved and resigned.

"Shampoo no can beat Airen," she said. "At least Shampoo have honorable death."

Cologne looked at her great granddaughter for a moment.

"You misunderstand, Shampoo," Cologne explained. "It was not Ranma who issued the challenge to you, but Ukyo."

The room suddenly became deathly quiet. The only sound to be heard was the steady, electronic beep of the monitors that were hooked up to Shampoo. Suddenly, the tempo of those beeps began to increase. Shampoo lying in her bed began to glow a faint ghostly blue.

"Stupid spatula girl challenge Shampoo," she hissed. The monitors began to go crazy as the amazon's anger flared. "Shampoo NEVER lose to stupid spatula girl. Ukyo challenge Shampoo, then Shampoo kill. Grandmother, you help Shampoo heal fast so she can kill Ukyo, yes? If Shampoo die, then Airen will kill, not stupid Ukyo!"

A doctor came rushing in, drawn by the sound of the monitor going into fits. On look at the glowing girl in the bed, however, and he left the room and the hospital as fast as his feet would carry him. Cologne watched Shampoo and considered. If she worked the situation right, Shampoo might be able to regain some of the honor that she had lost. And if worst came to worst, at least Shampoo would escape the fate that awaited her if she were to return to their village. Cologne nodded.

"Alright, granddaughter," she said. "Let us begin preparations for your duel.

Slumped in his chair, Mousse listened to all that was said and began making preparations of his own.

End part 6?

Disclaimer: Don't own them, don't claim to. Just borrowing them for a while.

Ranma 1/2 Unexpected Results Part 7

By: J. Hunt

The Tendo Home-Late night

Akane stared up at the ceiling unable to sleep. Her mind was stuck on Ranma and he and Ukyo's strange behavior. The feeling that something was wrong, and that the two of them were deliberately hiding it from her frustrated her, and was making it impossible for her to relax and drift off to sleep. Of course, the fact that she had Ranma sleeping on the floor on one side of her bed, and Ukyo sleeping on the other could have also had something to do with her inability to sleep. 

"Me and my big mouth," she thought. "I just had to tell Auntie Saotome that Ranko and I share a room whenever Ranma and Genma are home. Well, at least this way I can keep my eye on the two of them."

Akane sighed and rolled over to stare down at her fiancee. Ranma was sound asleep, but didn't look very peaceful. There was a scowl on her face and she shifted around restlessly while murmuring to herself. 

"Must be having a bad dream," Akane thought. Just then, Ranma mumbled something and Akane was just able to make out the words, "wedding" and "stupid bride".

"He must be dreaming about on of us," she thought. She watched he obviously agitated state and grimaced. "That better not be me he's dreaming about. I wonder if I should wake him?"

Before she could, however, Ranma seemed to calm. Her face relaxed, and she settled down, though she still did not look completely peaceful.

"Oh, Ranma," Akane sighed. "What am I going to do with you, you big dummy?"

"Well, sugar, you can let me have him," came Ukyo's voice from the other side of the bed. Akane blushed beet red.

"U-ukyo, you're awake?"

"Yeah, I can't sleep," Ukyo replied. The two sat in silence, the only sound heard was Ranma's breathing.

"Akane, can I ask you something?" Ukyo asked at last.

"What?" Akane asked, though she had a good guess what the question was going to be.

"Why are you always so mean to Ranchan?"

"Huh," Akane asked and sat up to stare down at Ukyo. The chef was sitting on the floor and had her legs drawn in and her knees tucked under her chin. "Just what do you mean by that?"

"Akane, I know you like him," Ukyo said tilting her head to look up at Akane. "I just don't understand why you are always so mean to him and blame everything that happens on him."

"Because he's a rude, insensitive, selfish, perverted jerk," Akane said her voice raising slightly. "And everything that happens usually is his fault. And for your information, I do not like him."

Ukyo shook her head.

"It'll never work between you two," she said.

"Excuse me?" Akane asked.

"Akane, just let me have Ranma," Ukyo said. "It's obvious that the two of you will never be happy together."

"And you think he'd be happier with you.," Akane snapped, her temper starting to boil.

"Allot more than with you, sugar," Ukyo replied snapped back. "At least I can admit my feelings for him and can listen to his side of the story before I pound him."

Ukyo then took a deep breathe.

"Look, sugar, the plain and simple truth is that two of you were just not meant for each other, and if by some stroke of misfortune you were to end up married, neither one of you would be happy."

"I can't believe you!" Akane said. "How can you say that. In my own home, in my bedroom no less."

"I'm just being realistic," Ukyo replied.

"Well don't," Akane said. "Why don't you just mind your own business."

"This IS my business," Ukyo said, her own voice starting to show her anger.  
"Why don't you stop being so stubborn!"

"Stubborn?" Akane said. "Look whose talking! You're the one who doesn't know when to quit. Ranma already has a fiancee, and yet you're still after him. Why don't you just leave him alone."

"Hey, jackass, I AM his fiancee," Ukyo said getting to her feet and glaring at Akane.  
"Why don't YOU leave him alone."

"Ha. And let you have him, no way," Akane said, jumping off her bed to stand in front of Ukyo. 

"Why not," Ukyo said. "It's not like you want him or anything. I think you just can't stand the thought of not having Ranchan around to bully anymore. You get some kind of sick kick out of being mean to him."

Ukyo crossed her arms in front of her and smirked.

"Why you," Akane growled as her left eyelid began to twitch.

"Admit it, sugar," Ukyo said poking Akane in the chest. "Why else won't you let me have Ranma, when you know it's the best thing for him?"

"Because I love him, damn it!" Akane snarled, then paled and covered her mouth with her hands. Ukyo threw her arms in front of her as if she was trying to ward off a blow, and stared at Akane in shock and disbelief.

Oh my God, I just admitted I love Ranma, Akane thought in a panic. -And-and it's true,  
it's TRUE. Oh God, oh God, oh God. I'm in love with Ranma Saotome. What do I do, what do I do.-

-This is most definitely NOT what I wanted,- Ukyo thought to herself.

"Mhey, you guys, wha's goin on?" came Ranma sleep slurred voice from the other side of the room.

-Oh God, PLEASE, don't let him have heard that!- Akane and Ukyo thought at the exact same moment.

"N-nothing," Akane said with a nervous laugh. "What makes you think something's going on?"

"I thought I heard arguing when I woke up," Ranma said, her voice still sleepy. "You two ain't fighting are you?"

"Who us?" Ukyo said and threw her arm around Akane's shoulders. "Perish the thought, Ranchan. You just go own back to sleep."

"Well okay, but I don't want you two fighting," Ranma mumbled. A few moments later, they heard her begin to snore slightly and both relaxed, then turned to glare at each other.

"I still say I'm the best choice for Ranchan," Ukyo whispered. This is bad, very, very bad. With Shampoo out of the way, I was sure Ranchan was all mine now.

"He was my fiancee first, and I'm not letting you have him," Akane whispered back. -Especially not now.-

"We'll see about that," Ukyo said. "Just remember this: I will love Ranchan unconditionally and will stick with him no matter what happens."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akane asked narrowing her eyes.

Ukyo looked at Akane, then looked away.

-I can't do it,- she thought. -I know Ranma has some feelings for her, if she ends up hating him...I can't let that happen, no matter how happy it would make me. I don't want to win Ranma that way.-

Ukyo then surprised Akane by taking her hand. 

"Akane, promise me something," Ukyo said. "Please. We've always been rivals, but for the most part we've always been on good terms. If we didn't have Ranma between us, I'm sure we could even have been friends."

Akane started to say something, but the seriousness of Ukyo's gaze stopped her.

"All right," she said quietly. "What do you want."

"Akane, in a few days you're going to hear something about Ranma that you aren't going to like," Ukyo said. "Promise me that you will listen to his side of the story and that you'll give him a fair chance before you do anything."

"What are you talking about," Akane asked, again feeling the cold ball of dread forming in the pit of her stomach.

"I can't tell you," Ukyo said. Akane was silent.

"Ukyo, does this have something to do with why Ranma put Shampoo in the hospital?" she asked at last. Ukyo knoded.

"All right," Akane said at last. "I promise to give Ranma the benefit of the doubt...this time."

Outside Akane's room, Nabiki leaned against the wall.

-My, my,- she thought. -This just gets more and more interesting.-

She then smiled down at the tape recorder and small microphone she had slipped under the door.

-This promises to be a very interesting week.- And with that she walked to her room.

End part 7 


	6. Unexpected Results 8

Okay, lets try this again...

Ranma 1/2 Unexpected Results 8

By: J-Hunt

Ranma came awake suddenly in a cold sweet, breathing heavily. She had had a nightmare, and though the details of it had faded her heart was still hammering and she could still feel the last shreds of the terror on her soul. She sat up slowly and turned to look first at the window,  
then up at the bed where Akane slept. Ranma watched her fiancée sleep,  
and sighed sadly.

-To bad she can't be that cute when she's awake,- the red head thought,  
then frowned and looked at Akane curiously. -She IS cute. When the heck did this happen. Man, I'm definitely losing my mind.-

The girl's shoulders slumped then and she looked away from the sleeping girl.

-What's it matter if she's cute or not. When she finds out I'm pre-pregnant, she's gonna hate me. Feh, I'll be lucky if she doesn't kill me.-

Ranma stood then and stretched. She walked around the bed and looked down at her other fiancée. A slight smile crossed her face as she bent down and brushed a strand of hair off of Ukyo's face. Ukyo mumbled something in her sleep, then sighed and shifted from her side on to her back, throwing the cover off of her slightly. She had not bound her breasts and the top two buttons of shirt she was sleeping in had come undone exposing her neck and teasingly interesting amount of skin.  
Ranma felt a warmth go through her body and know she was blushing as she stared, mesmerized, at the swell of Ukyo's chest. She swallowed and carefully took the blanket and pulled it back up, then stood.

-Okay, I gotta get out of here, this is getting too weird,- She thought. Quietly, she opened the door and made her way stealthily through the sleeping house. She made her way to the dojo and slipped inside. She turned on the lights and moved to the center of the floor.

She began going through some warm up katas, letting her body and mind loosen up, then gradually increased the intensity. Time ceased to exist as she lost herself in the movements, as her body and mind became one. She pushed herself, throwing her entire being into the kata, searching for a moment of perfection and understanding in unity of form, mind and soul. She could feel her blood pounding, and the sweet beginning to cover her body as her muscles worked, refining themselves as they grew stronger. She could feel the exhilaration and joy practicing the art gave her. Then she felt something foreign and disturbing. She could feel the life growing inside her, and felt a moment of disgust and panic. Instantly, she stopped her kata.  
She was breathing hard and soaked with sweat. She wiped the sweat from her eyes and took a deep breath, then blew it out loudly.

"Ranma?" she heard a timid voice say, and turned to see Akane standing in the doorway looking at her. Ranma frowned at the strange look Akane was giving her.

"What are you doing up?" she asked. Akane blinked.

"I've been up for about an hour," Akane said nervously. "Kasumi sent me to tell you breakfast is almost ready."

Ranma blinked then began to rub the back of her head nervously.

"Guess I lost track of time," she said sheepishly, then her stomach growled. "Breakfast sounds good though, I'm starved."

Ranma started towards the door.

"Err, Ranma?" Akane said. Ranma stopped and looked at Akane.

"Yeah?"

Akane blushed.

"Y-you might want to take a bath and change first."

Ranma blinked then looked down at herself. The sweat of her work out had soaked her white muscle shirt to the point that it was almost transparent and left none of her assets to the imagination.

"Thanks," Ranma said with a grimace. "Having Mom see me like this would be all I need. Speaking of which, where is she?"

Akane's face clouded for a moment.

"She and Ukyo are helping Kasumi with breakfast," she said. "I offered to help but Kasumi said with Auntie and Ukyo she didn't need me."

-Smart girl,- Ranma thought, but for once managed not to say it out loud.

The two stared at each other in silence.

"Well, I better go take that bath now," Ranma said. 

"Ranma?" Akane said as the smaller girl walked past her.

"Yeah?"

"Nevermind, it's nothing," Akane said looking away. "You better hurry or you'll miss breakfast."

Ranma frowned.

-Something's, up.- she thought. She was about to question Akane about it, but her stomach growled again. She gave Akane one more look, then turned and walked out of the dojo.

When Ranma had gone, Akane took a deep breath and placed her hands over her pounding heart. When she and Ukyo had awakened and found Ranma gone, Ukyo had freaked. Ukyo had almost ran out of the room in only her nightshirt and panties to look for her. Akane had managed to slow her down long enough to get her to get dressed first, but truthfully Ukyo's reaction had scared the death out of her and the two of them had practically thrown their clothes on. They had then flown down the stairs, where the were met by Kasumi. They had asked her if she had seen Ranma and she had replied that she had heard someone in the dojo and had found Ranma there working out, and that as far as she knew Ranma was still there.

The two of them had then gone to check and had found that Ranma was still there. Akane couldn't recall ever seeing Ukyo look so relieved.  
Ranma, meanwhile, seemed to be totally absorbed in her katas, so they had left her alone and went back to the house. Akane had then tried to get Ukyo to tell her what the point of the whole incident had been, but the chef had been irritatingly closed mouthed.

When Kasumi finally sent Akane to get Ranma, Akane had paused in the doorway and watched her fiancée workout. She was amazed and more then a little envious of Ranma's skill. She was just about to call Ranma's name when it had happened. Akane knew that the red head was fast, but her jaw had dropped at what she had seen. At first, it appeared that the speed of Ranma's movements had slowed. For a few moments, it looked to Akane like she was watching a tape in slow motion. Then, as Ranma moved it appeared as if she had sprouted a second set of arms,  
and then Ranma's entire body had blurred and seemed to split in two identical forms, then merge together. Her mouth had gone dry when she realized what she was seeing. Ranma was moving so fast that all that was visible were brief after images.

Akane shook herself and turned to leave the dojo. As she left she wondered if Ranma would be willing to train her, but she quickly crushed that idea. She could just imagine what he would have to say about that.

-I can't ask that Baka to train me,- she thought angrily. -Besides,  
even if he did agree, all he'd do is dodge and not take me seriously.-

Akane thought about the fight she had had with Ukyo the night before,  
and sighed sadly.

-I'm in love with a man who won't take me serious and is always insulting me,- she thought. Then bits of Ukyo's argument and accusations came back to her and she grimaced. Once again she heard Ukyo's voice: 'It'll never work between you two.';'It's obvious that the two of you will never be happy together.';'At least I can admit my feelings for him.'

Tears started coming to her eyes.

-Dummy, why do you have to be so stubborn?- she thought, not knowing if she meant Ranma or herself. Visions of Ukyo and Ranma together.  
She admitted to herself that she was envious of the closeness that the okonmiyaki chef shared with Ranma. 

-I'm losing him to her,- she thought miserably, then wiped her eyes.  
-No, he's not hers yet, at least I hope not, and, and I still have a chance. Oh, Ranma, I know Ukyo is wrong and the two of us can be happy together. If we don't drive each other crazy that is.-

Akane came to a decision then. One not based on anger, or pride, or even family honor. As much as he irritated her sometimes and despite the fact that he was the biggest jerk she had ever met, she wanted Ranma Saotome for her own. If she lost him to Ukyo eventually, then she would accept that, but she wasn't going to lay down and let her take him with out a fight.

Akane took a deep breath, wiped the tears from her eyes, and took the first tentative step into what she hoped was a better future.

The end part 8

Okay, I know I know. I am slow. Anyway, next chapter we will see Ukyo and Shampoo beginning their training, Nabiki finding out a certain secret, and P-Chan finds his way home. Heh, heh, heh. See ya then.

Oh, and by-the-by, PLEASE send any C&C to me at J-Hunt 


	7. Unexpected Results 9

Disclaimer: Don't own them, don't claim to. Just borrowing them for a while.  
Sorry bout the delay all --' (assigning me a 'helper'...snort)

Kimiko's introduction:  
Hello everyone -waves to audience-. My name is Kimiko Habiki, the newest addition to the Broken Works staff. I'm kinda gonna become a writer... at least they say if I help Hunt with this Chapter I get to write a one on my own. So lets all hope my trial goes well...

Ranma 1/2 Unexpected Results Part 9

By: J. Hunt (and Kimiko...)

Part 9

Nabiki was finding it hard not to laugh as she sat eating breakfast. There was a battle being fought at the table, and she was thoroughly enjoying the show. Akane and Ukyo had positioned themselves on either side of Ranma and were both waging a war of niceness. Ukyo was being her normal self, only more so, and Nabiki could see that her little sister was being sorely tested to stay calm. Being nice to Ranma was not something Akane was finding easy, especially with one of the other girls there. Akane was smiling, but her eyebrow twitched every now and then, and she had already snapped a pair of chopsticks in frustration once that morning. Nabiki had to give her little sister credit though. She had managed to hold her temper longer than ever before, though Nabiki doubted it was having the effect Akane desired. Ranma looked slightly panicked, not being use to Akane being this nice. The red head kept giving Akane secret little glances as if she expected her to explode any minute and take her with her. 

-Poor Ranma,- Nabiki thought with a mental smirk. -Heh, if only you had woke up a few minutes earlier last night. Oh well.-

Nabiki spared a moment to look around the table.

Nodaka was too busy fussing over her husband to notice anything unusual. Genma for his part had a happy, goofy grin on his face that Nabiki would rather not have thought about.  
She had enough trouble-blocking out some of the things she had heard coming from the room the husband and wife had shared last night, and did NOT want to be reminded of any of it.

Her father was watching the three teenagers with only a few tears. Nabiki was positive that it was only Nodaka's presence that was keeping him from breaking down in full waterworks. Kasumi...well Kasumi was being Kasumi.

"Say AHH, Ranchan," Ukyo said holding up a bite of breakfast okinomiaki to Ranma. 

"Ummmm thanks Ucchan, but I can feed myself ya know," The red head replied. She shot a seemingly casual glance to Akane who was sitting on her right side. Akane's smile thinned slightly, but she managed to keep it up.

"I don't think Ranko wants anymore Okinomiaki," Akane said sweetly. "To be honest I'm surprised she's not sick of it, considering it's the only thing you ever try to feed her."

Ukyo almost frowned, but instead smiled, showing more teeth than necessary for the act.

"Ranchan loves my okinomiaki," she replied. "And she hasn't run in fear from anything I've cooked, unlike the food a certain someone cooks."

Akane's twitch increased. 

-Uh-oh,- Nibiki thought. -And she was doing so well too.-

"And just what do you mean by that?" Akane said slapping her hand on the table and getting to her feet. "How dare you say that my cooking is bad, and in my own house no less."

Ukyo grinned.

"Why sugar, I didn't say it was YOUR cooking she ran from," She said smiling innocently. 

"Why not, I would," Ranma said speaking up for the first time. The entire table was suddenly silent.

Nibiki groaned. -Ranma you dolt.-

"Ranko no baka!" Akane yelled pulling out her mallet and bringing it down towards the top of the redhead's head. It never landed however. There was a strange swooshing sound Akane couldn't place, and the head of her mallet came apart from the handle. Akane blinked and watched in shock as the mallet head fell harmlessly to the floor. She looked to the side in time to see her Auntie Nodaka resheathing her katana. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could make a sound she heard something she thought she would never hear.

"Akane no baka," Came from Ukyo. Akane turned her head and saw the glint of metal just before something shoved her back. She landed with a thump on her rear, and looked up to find Ranma standing over her. Ranma had her arms crossed over her head, blocking a blow from Ukyo's spatula that Akane realized would have bashed her on the head had Ranma not pushed her down. 

"I won't let you hurt her, Ucchan."

Instantly Ukyo's look of anger was replaced by horror. The spatula fell from her hands and she took a step back then lunged forward to grab Ranma. Ranma let out a small shriek.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Ukyo repeated breaking out in tears. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Ghaaaaaaa," Ranma said frantically and tried to pry Ukyo off of her. "I'm fine Ucchan. Let go. See I'm fine."

Nabiki watched as Ranma cast her gaze around the table, her eyes pleading for help. She doubted he would find much there. Genma had passed out when Auntie had first unsheathed her katana. Nabiki, unlike Akane, had seen the swipe that had cut the mallet. Her own father was sobbing into his sleeve. Kasumi looked wide-eyed and nervous. Akane looked as if she was still trying to figure out just what had happened. Nodaka was busy trying to revive her husband.

That left her. Nabiki picked up her bowl and began to eat her rice. -Oh well. He got himself into this he can get himself out...unless there are a few yen to be gained.- Nabiki looked into Ranma's eyes and saw the desperation in them. It was the same look he always got in these situations, and she had seen it hundreds of times, but for some reason it unsettled her this time.

-This is going to cost him.-

"Ukyo I think you had better let Ran...ko go," she said nonchalantly. "I don't think that shade of blue is good for her."

Of course Ranma had not been turning blue, but it had the desired effect. Ukyo let go of Ranma as if the girl had just become as fiery hot as her hair suggested. This in itself Nabiki found interesting. Under normal circumstances, Ukyo or Shampoo, especially Shampoo,  
would have held a gloomp until Ranma lost consciousness from lack of air and never thought twice about it. Nabiki added it to her growing list of oddities and picked up her bowl to continue eating.

Nabiki spent the remainder of the morning in deep thought. After she finished eating, she excused herself and went up to her room. She put the tape she had made of Ukyo and Akane's argument the night before in her personal cassette player and slipped on the headphones.

"Something is definitely up," she mused. 

She listened to the tape over and over as she absently read a manga, but still could not find anything on it that she found very helpful. After the third time, she threw her manga to the foot of the bed and took off the headphones.

"This is getting me nowhere," she grumbled, then stretched. She needed more information.  
Where to get that information was the problem.

"I wonder how much Akane would pay to keep this tape quiet," she said absently to herself.  
It was a tempting idea to think about, but it wasn't helping her with her main focus. She rolled over onto her side and began doing leg lift exercises as she thought. She hated not knowing something, or more precisely not being able to figure something out. Every mystery was a personal challenge to her and she never backed down from a challenge. That caused her to grin as she had heard the same words out come out of Ranma's mouth more than once.

-Hmmmm Ranma and Ukyo are hiding something, and Auntie knows at least part of it- Nabiki mused.  
-Ukyo thinks that whatever it is will really piss Akane off, and for my little sister's part the way Ukyo and Ranma are acting has spooked her enough that she actually admitted how she feels for Ranma. And Shampoo locking Ranma's curse and him putting her in the hospital for it.  
Neither one of those makes any sense. Why would Shampoo do something like that for no reason, and why would he get so mad at Shampoo for a temporary thing. And what was all of that about Ukyo and Shampoo fighting a duel WITH Auntie's approval. I never thought she would approve of something that unladylike.-

Nabiki rolled over to do her other leg.

-Okay, something happened that caused Shampoo to lock Ranma's curse. Whatever this something is was important enough that Ranma actually hurt Shampoo over it, it was also a big enough deal that Ukyo doesn't think putting Shampoo in the hospital was punishment enough. So it's something that involves both of them, something important to them both. Let's not forget Aunty. Whatever it is, she's willing to forgo her normal views on how a lady should act for it.-

Nabiki stopped her exercise and frowned up at the ceiling.

-Plus there was that little scene at breakfast, both Nodaka and Ukyo defending Ranma, and Ukyo going into hysterics when she hit him.-

Protecting Ranma. That thought almost made Nabiki laugh. The mighty, macho Ranma Saotome needing protecting.

"But he's not all that macho at the moment," she said out loud and smirked. That smirk didn't last very long, however. Slowly Nabiki sat up. She had a sudden feeling she was on to something with that line of thought.

Meanwhile in the dojo, Nodaka had begun her training of Ukyo, with Ranma, Akane, and the fathers watching on. Both held bokens, with Nodaka going through movements for Ukyo. Ukyo for her part was not having a good time of it. The boken felt strange in her hands, her being used to her weightier battle spatula, and every time she looked at it an image of Kuno flashed through her mind.

"Keep your focus, Ucchan," the elder lady said as she watched Ukyo execute on of the katas she had been shown.

"O-okay, its just this feels a little weird," Ukyo said.

"You just need practice, Dear," Nodaka said. "You need to accustom yourself to it."

"If you say so," Ukyo sighed.

Just then, Kasumi came in.

"Aunty there is a telephone call from you," she said. "They said it was very important."

Nodaka blinked a few times in surprise, then turned to Kasumi.

"Who on earth could that be calling me here," she said. She turned to Ukyo. "Keep practicing what I have shown you and I will return in a moment."

With that she left, followed closely behind by the fathers. When they were gone, Ukyo scowled and stopped her katas. She looked at the boken in her hand and scowled in disgust.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," she said. "I'm just can't get comfortable with this thing."

"Well it might just give you an edge against Shampoo if you can do it," Ranma said. The young redhead was leaning against the wall with her hands behind her head.

"What do you mean, Ranma?" Akane asked.

"Well Shampoo is a very good martial artist," Ranma explained, "who has had training in both unarmed and armed combat, where as you Ucchan rely mostly on your spatula. It might throw Shampoo off a little if you showed up with a different weapon."

"So you're saying I should learn it to mess with her mind a little," Ukyo asked.

"Well yeah, but that ain't all of it," Ranma said. "I'd say you should also work on your unarmed skills too. With a weapon you and Shampoo are pretty even, but if she disarms you, then the fight is hers. If you can keep her off balance and uncertain the fight should go a little easier for you. Using any situation to your advantage, that's the main principle of the Anything-Goes school, and you've seen how good it works for me."

Ranma walked over and picked up Ukyo's spatula from where it was leaning against the wall.

"That doesn't mean you should forget your strengths though," she said. Whatever else the redhead was going to say was cut off by Nodaka returning.

"I'm sorry," she said turning to Ukyo, "but something has come up and I'm afraid I won't be be able to train you after all."

"Is anything wrong Auntie," Akane asked. The older woman sighed.

"No dear," she said, "An old friend with an annoyingly bad sense of timing has called in a favor. She and her husband are leaving on a trip and need me to watch after their young daughter for them."

"That's too bad Auntie," Ukyo said. "Any idea when you will be back?"

"Well we should be back before the week is up," Nodaka responded.

"We?" Ranma asked.

"Yes I will be taking my husband with me," Nodaka said. She turned to look at Ukyo.  
"Just keep practicing with what I have shown you and you should do fine."

"If you say so," Ukyo grumbled. Nodaka smiled and walked over to hug the young chef. She then hugged Akane and Ranma, then left the dojo.

"Well what now?" Ukyo said with a sigh.

"Now it's my turn," Ranma said. Ukyo and Akane blinked in confusion and turned to the redhead.

"What do you mean, Ranma," Akane asked. Ranma chuckled to herself softly, then burst out laughing and pointed at Ukyo.

"Now I'll take up your training," she said, "and when I'm done you will be a lean, mean martial arts machine."

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this," Akane said as she watched Ranma burst out in another bout of cackles. She sighed, then covered her face with hand. "Honestly."

Suddenly the doors of the dojo burst open, and before anyone could react weighted ropes and chains flew throw the opening, and Akane found herself bound tightly.

"What's going...Yeeeeeeeeeeoooooooowwwwwwww," she said as she was suddenly jerked forward out of the dojo.

"Akane," the two remaining martial artist shouted and raced outside after her. They skidded to a stop as they were greeted with sinister laughter and the sight of a white robed young man holding a sword standing over a very irate and struggling Akane.

"Mousse!" Ranma shouted.

"I have you now Ukyo Kounji," the man said. "There is no way I'm going to let you harm my darling Shampoo. Though you are a lot heavier than I thought you would be."

"Who are you calling Ukyo you moron," Akane screamed. The blind boy blinked at that and lowered his glasses to stare down at the girl.

"What the! You're not Kounji," he exclaimed and looked around franticly.

"So good of you to notice," Akane replied in a dangerous voice. Spotting Ukyo standing next to Ranma, Mousse took his sword and pointed it towards the girl.

"I will not let you harm my Shampoo," he said.

"I'd say it's out of your hands sugar," Ukyo said. "Shampoo's grandmother already gave her consent."

"But Shampoo is in no condition to fight," Mousse said.

"I'm sure the old woman will come up with something for that," Ukyo replied.

"I see there will be no reasoning with you," Mousse said taking up a stance, one arm low, the other holding the sword over his head. "Very well then, prepare to defend yourself."

"Anytime you're ready," Ukyo said, unknowingly dropping into a defensive stance with the boken she still held. Ranma noticed, however. She put her hands behind her head and looked between the boy and girl.

"Well before you begin, Mousse," Ranma said to the young man, her eyes hard as steel. "I think there is something very important that you forgot."

"And just what is that Saotome," Mousse snapped. 

"Look behind you," Ranma responded.

"Yeah right like I'm going to fall for thaaaack!" Mousse began, but was cut by someone grabbing him by his shoulders and forcing him around. There stood Akane Tendo, her battle aura blazing in all its glory. He felt himself lifted off the ground by his shirt.

"DRY UP AND DIE!" she shouted as her fist connected with the blind boy's jaw and sent him flying into low orbit. She then stood panting as she slowly brought her aura back under control.  
From her window, Nabiki watched and shook her head.

"Violent as ever," she said. Then a thought accord to her. Whatever it was that Shampoo had done and the circumstances surrounding it would most likely be known to Mousse. She paused a moment to gauge the direction Mousse had flown, then quickly left to try to track the blind boy down.

As Nabiki was setting off on her hunt for answers, Shampoo was becoming impatient to set off for her training. Her grandmother had, over the loud objections of the doctors, removed her from the hospital the night before. Shampoo's frown of disgust at the memory was aimed partially at the silly doctors and partially at herself. She had been so weak that her grandmother had had to carry her. The doctors had said that her grandmother was dooming Shampoo to death by taking her away so soon. Shampoo snorted at that. Her death would not be coming soon, and would not be nearly that easy. She was an Amazon, and inheritor of 3000 years of proud warrior traditions. Or at least she had been up until a few days ago.  
Had it really only been so short a time since her life had come to an end? She shook her head. The doctors had been wrong. Taking her away from the hospital wouldn't kill her,  
she was already dead.

Well, not fully dead. There was still the matter of Ukyo to deal with. Shampoo bristled at the thought of the Japanese girl. She couldn't wait to show the annoying girl just who she was dealing with. But before her grandmother could train her, she said that Shampoo needed to heal. Shampoo sighed and slouched back into the hot water, sinking down until only the upper part of her face showed. She was in a large bath, in a house just outside of the city. The water was a pale green color, and felt strange and tingly against her skin thanks to a concoction that her grandmother had added. She had explained to Shampoo that it would speed up her recovery, but that she would have to soak in it for about twenty-four hours to get the full effect. There would be a price for the healing, her grandmother had said, but she hadn't said what it would be, and Shampoo hadn't bothered to ask. All that Shampoo had cared about was whether or not it would work, and looking down at her body through the water she could tell it was.

"How do you feel Shampoo?" came a voice behind her. Shampoo turned to see her grandmother.

"Is okay," Shampoo said. "Pain and bruises almost all gone. We start training soon yes?"

Cologne made her way to the bath and looked down at her Granddaughter through the water.

"Hmmmm looks like you're coming along quite nicely," she said. "We should be able to begin your training tomorrow."

"Hiya, Shampoo can't wait."

Cologne smirked and chuckled to herself.

"Let's hope you can keep that attitude tomorrow," she said with a sly grin.

"What, grandmother mean?" Shampoo asked frowning.

"Oh you'll see Shampoo, my dear," Cologne chuckle. "For now just concentrate on healing.  
One step at a time and you'll never go wrong."

Shampoo nodded and slouched back into the water. Cologne moved over to stare up at the sky through the small window.

"Tomorrow it all begins," she said. "I hope I'm making the right choice with this. I have the nagging feeling that there is something I've over looked that could blow this all up in my face."

Back in Nerima, a young man sneezed, and shook his head.

"I hope I'm not coming down with a cold," Ryoga Habiki said. "That would be all I need.  
Oh Ranma, why can't I find you. The old woman said that you were in trouble but I can't get to you to help."

The lost boy punched a nearby wall, turning it into rubble.

"Ranma where are you!" He yelled. His only answer was a sudden whistling sound accompanied by a scream that was growing slowly louder.

"What the?" Ryoga said turning to look to the sky. His reward was a face to face encounter with a falling Mousse. Both boys crumpled to the ground in a heap. Ryoga growled and quickly threw the Chinese boy off of him.

"YOU PERVERT THAT'S TWICE NOW YOU'VE KISSED ME!" Ryoga bellowed grabbing the blind boy by his throat and shaking him.

"W-wait Ryo-oga," Mousse crocked out. 

"Why should I you pervert?" Ryoga snapped.

"I-I have information about R-ranma that you may find interesting," Mousse said. Ryoga looked at him in surprise and loosened his grip. Mousse took a deep breath and sighed.

"Well what about Ranma?" Ryoga said. "At the hospital Cologne said she was in some kind of trouble, do you know what it is and where she is?"

"She?" Mousse said straitening his glasses and looking at the lost boy. "Then it is true, the potion did make you fall in love with Saotome. Poor guy, ack."

The ack was the sound of an impatient Ryoga grabbing Mousse by the neck and shaking him again.

"Get on with it!" he yelled.

"Okay Okay, no need to be such a grouch," Mousse said. "I don't know how to tell you this Habiki but you're going to be a father."

"Wh-what?" Ryoga said, the color draining from his face. "She, I mean Ranma, she's p-p-p-p-p."

"Pregnant?" Mousse finished. "Yes. Apparently that's one of the effects of the potion Shampoo accidentally gave you two."

Ryoga stared at Mousse, his stunned for a moment, then his eyes curled back in his head and he fainted dead away. Mousse looked at the fallen boy and shook his head. Then suddenly jumped to his feet.

"What am I doing?" He said. "I can't waste my time here, I have to get back to my darling Shampoo incase she needs me."

So saying he ran off, leaving the lost boy where he lay. When he was gone, a figure stepped from behind a vending machine where she had been hidden. Slowly she walked over to the lost boy and looked down at him, then in the direction Mousse had run. 

Nabiki Tendo had come searching for answers, and she had found them.

The end part 9

I know I know it took forever for this too come out and I am dreadfully sorry about that.

The next part won't take near as much time (I hope)

Oh, and by the by, PLEASE send any C&C to J-Hunt

If anybody has any ideas or comments they can e-mail them to you want to see something happen, tell me. (Heh, heh, less strain on my imagination.)

If you're interested, you can find most of this at my web page at 


	8. Unexpected Results 10

Disclaimer: Don't own them, don't claim to. Just borrowing them for a while.

Ranma 1/2 Unexpected Results Part 10

By: J. Hunt

Part 10:

Ukyo Kounji was not having a good time. She stood facing a straw practice dummy in the Tendo's back yard. Her entire body was beginning to ache and was starting to feel like it was slowly turning to lead. Her breathing was ragged and she had to pause and swallow to try and catch her breath. She hefted her spatula before her, its weight feeling much greater than normal. With a snarl, she slashed forward in an upward arc, slicing a training dummy in half. Reversing the slice at the at its highest point, she completed the motion by bringing the flat of the weapon down to smash the dummy. She stood there, breathing heavily and leaning against her spatula for support.

A whistling sound caught her attention and she barely reacted in time to bring up her spatula to ward off a brick that was hurled at her from above. This was followed by a veritable rain of bricks. With a yell, she spun her spatula and began to deflect or smash the bricks. With a tired smirk she moved her head to the side to let the last brick sail past. That smirk turned to a look of fright as she jumped back just as a large rock struck the ground where she had just been standing and sent up an explosion of dirt and dust. Ukyo brought up an arm to cover her face from the dirt, and when she did that a small weighted rope shot from out of the dust cloud. It wrapped around her spatula and yanked it out of the one hand that held it.

"Hey!" Ukyo cried, then tensed and turned as another hail of bricks came at her. She reached over her shoulder and produced a boken that she had been wearing where her spatula normally was. She slashed at the bricks, shattering those that she managed to hit, and dodging those she didn't. One managed to get through her defense, however and tagged her on her shoulder causing her to yelp in pain.  
Momentarily caught off guard another hit her in the gut, and she doubled over, going to her knees coughing.

"Ucchan you okay?" came Ranma's voice as the redhead leapt off of the roof, leaving her stacks of bricks and Ukyo's stolen spatula behind and rushing over to the girl. Akane also rushed over to the chef.

"I-I'm fine," Ukyo said slowly and somewhat wobbly stood, though she still rubbed her stomach with on hand. She wrinkled her nose as she looked down at the boken in her hands. "This stick still doesn't feel right."

"You did much better that time," Akane said. 

"Still not quite good enough yet," Ranma said. "But you did real well for the first day."

From inside Kasumi called them all to dinner.

"We'll take a break for food," Ranma said, "and when we get done we'll work on your unarmed fighting."

Ukyo groaned. The three martial artist made their way back into the house. Soun was seated at the table along with Nabiki, who had returned a couple of hours earlier. She looked up as they came in with an indifferent look on her face. She watched them as they took their seats and were served. She glanced once down at her own food, but made no move to eat.  
Instead, she waited until Ranma lifted her bowl and began shoveling food into her mouth.

"I ran into Ryoga today," she said in a bored and neutral voice. The result was anything but bored or neutral as Ranma spewed forth a fountain of half chewed rice.

"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed and began to hit the redhead on the back as she coughed. Across from her Nabiki glared coldly at then and began to wipe the rice off of herself. A glance around the table had Mr. Tendo and Kasumi look at Ranma in concern and Ukyo, pale as a sheet, staring at Nabiki in wide-eyed horror.

"Mousse was with him, and they had a very interesting conversation," Nabiki continued.

Ranma's coughing turned to full out choking.

"Ryoga was in a big hurry to see you, Ranma," Nabiki went on. "I tried to bring him with me, but I looked away from him for a few seconds and lost him."

"What's going on with Ryoga?" Akane asked still patting Ranma's back. "Did you do something to him Ranma?"

"Nothing, I did nothing!" Ranma wheezed. Nabiki smirked.

"That's not what I heard Saotome," Nabiki said. "I got the whole story out of him before he got lost."

Ranma and Ukyo both let out a high squeal at this and jumped to their feet. This had the unfortunate effect of knocking Akane, whom had been leaning slightly over Ranma to pat her back, over on to her rear.

"W-What's going on?" Soun asked. Nabiki opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off when Ranma leapt over the table and tackled the other girl, putting her hand over Nabiki's mouth.

"Heehee," Ranma laughed looking around the startled people from where she sat on Nabiki's lap. Nabiki was giving Ranma a look that promised divine wrath when she let go.

"Ranma what are you doing, have you gone crazy?" Akane exclaimed as she leapt to her feet and slammed her hands down on the table. Ranma's only answer was a cackle that did not sound entirely sane. 

Looking at the situation, Ukyo did the only thing she could think of: she reached in to her shirt, and, shouting "Flour Bomb" throw one of said bombs on to the table. Using the resulting flour explosion as cover, she snatched Ranma by the collar and pulling her behind her beat a hasty retreat from the house. When the flour finally settled the Tendo's all wiped the flour from their faces and turned to look at Nabiki.

"What in the Hell is going on here," Akane demanded. Nabiki smirked.

"Well little sister," Nabiki said. "That is a very interesting story."

A short time later, Ukyo burst through the door of her restaurant pulling Ranma behind her.  
She tossed the red haired girl onto a seat near the grill then slammed the door closed behind her and leaned against it heavily, panting.

"You okay Ranchan?" Ukyo asked. Ranma's response was to cackle insanely again. Ukyo walked up to the girl and slapped her a few times lightly across the face.

"Snap out of it," she said. Ranma blinked at her then looked around as if just noticing where she was.

"Th-thanks Ucchan," Ranma said, then sighed letting her shoulders slump.

"I'm doomed," Ranma said. "Nabiki has probably told them everything by now."

The pigtailed girl jumped to her feet suddenly and began to pace.

"Well they had to find out sooner or later," Ukyo said. 

"Yeah I know," Ranma said. "But I wasn't ready yet, and I sure as Hell didn't want them to find out like this."

Ukyo grimaced.

"Leave it to Nabiki to but her nose in where it doesn't belong," she sighed and took a seat on a stool near the grill. She eyed the pacing red head cautiously, then shook her head. -I hope she doesn't flip out again.-

Ranma suddenly stopped and turned to regard Ukyo. Ukyo fidgeted under the girls intense gaze for a moment.

"I've been thinking about something you said the yesterday day, Ucchan," Ranma said at last.

"Oh?" Ukyo asked. "Which thing?"

"About choices," Ranma said and this time she fidgeted. "A-and about choosing not to have this baby."

"Oh." Ukyo responded. Both girls were silent then, the sound of the traffic outside the restaurant the only noise to be heard.

"I hate this Ukyo," Ranma said at last. She was looking up at the ceiling blinking back the wetness in her eyes, and was fighting to keep her voice neutral and for the most part was succeeding, though a slight tremor of emotion was evident. She reached a hand up and rubbed at her eyes. "I can feel it growing inside me, and the more I think about it the stronger I can feel it. I want that feeling to go away. I want this all to just go away."

She looked at back to Ukyo and rubbed her eyes again. The chef got off of her stool and walked over to hug the smaller girl. After a moments hesitation, Ranma raised her arms and hugged Ukyo back.

"Well whatever you have decided," Ukyo said slowly. "I'll back you up 100 percent. Do you want me to call and set you up an appointment? Doctor Tofu gave me a number just in case you decided you wanted it."

Ranma let go of Ukyo and stepped back. She stared up to the ceiling for a moment, then slowly nodded her head.

"Yeah, I guess you should give 'em a call," she said. Ukyo walked behind the counter and picked up the phone as Ranma slumped down onto one of the stools. Before Ukyo had finished dialing the number, however, there was a sudden loud banging at the door.

"Ranma, Ukyo, I know you two are in there," came Akane's bellowing voice. "Let me in this minute."

Ukyo froze and Ranma let out a loud squeal and dived behind the counter to hide.

"She's going to kill me," the red head squeaked putting her head between her knees and covering the top of it with her hands.

"Open this door now!" Akane shouted from outside.

"We're closed, no body's here come back later!" Ranma shouted back from her hiding place.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Akane shouted back. "Open this door this minute."

Ranma began to giggle hysterically and rock back and forth, mumbling "I'm doomed" over and over again. Ukyo looked first at Ranma, then over at the door. She put the phone back on the receiver then walked over to the door.

"What are you doing?" Ranma squawked. Ukyo ignored her and put her hand on the lock.

"Akane do you remember the promise you made me last night," she asked. There was silence from the other side of the door.

"I remember," Akane replied at last.

"Good," Ukyo said, "because the only way I'm letting you in is if you stick by that now, and let Ranma tell his side of the story."

The silent pause was longer this time.

"Alright then," Akane said. "I promise, now let me in."

Ukyo undid the lock and slowly slid the door open. Akane stood there, her arms crossed under her breasts, wearing a mask of fury and worry.

"Come in," Ukyo said stepping aside for Akane and making a sweeping motion with her arm.  
Akane's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing and walked in. Behind her, Ukyo shut and relocked the door. 

"Have a seat Akane," Ukyo said and lead Akane to a table. Akane took the offered seat and turned a steady gaze around the room.

"Where is Ranma?" she asked in a cold, flat voice. Ukyo frowned and walked back behind the counter.

"Come on Ranma," she said in a calm, soothing voice, as if she was trying to coach some timid animal out of its cage. "Its alright, Akane is just here to talk."

With some reluctance, Ranma peeked over the top of the counter towards Akane, then ever so slowly stood and began to rub the back of his head nervously.

"H-hi Akane," Ranma said and gave a sickly little smile. "I guess Nabiki told you all about it huh?"

Akane merely stared at the nervous girl in silence. Ranma winced then took a deep breath, steeling her courage.

"I'm sorry Akane," Ranma said, not meeting the girl's gaze. "I don't know what you must think about me right now but I want you to know that I am so sorry about all of this.  
Ukyo and Mom keep telling me that it isn't my fault, that it was the love potion Shampoo gave me that made me and Ryoga do...that, but I still feel responsible for all of this. I was so stupid to trust Shampoo, but she said she had a cure for the curse and I guess, well I was just stupid is all."

Ranma shook her head, and wiped away a few tears again.

"I never wanted any of this to happen, you got to believe that," Ranma continued. Her voice broke slightly, and she coughed then swallowed. "I understand if you hate me now.  
Its like all those times you called me a pervert coming true. Me getting pregnant by Ryoga. I'm sorry Akane, I'm so, so sorry."

She spared a glance up at Akane. The youngest Tendo was sitting broomstick strait, her face pale. Ranma flinched and looked away again.

"I wanted to stop it," Ranma continued, her voice taking on a desperate, pleading quality,  
tears beginning to stream openly down her face. "I couldn't. No matter how much I wanted to stop I couldn't even make myself try. When I finally got control back, all I wanted to do was just die. I felt so unclean, so filthy. I still don't know if I'll ever feel clean. I just wanted to curl up and stop existing. It was just after we had finished, doing it that Shampoo showed up. I saw her and, and I just snapped. I don't remember much after that until I got to the Cat Cafe and fought Shampoo."

Ukyo put a comforting hand on the red head's shoulder as she stopped talking. At her table Akane sat motionless.

"Let me see if I understand this," she said at last in a quiet voice. "Shampoo gave you a potion that some how caused you to have sex with Ryoga against your will, and now you're pregnant with his child?"

"Y-yes," Ranma replied. "I-isn't that what Nabiki told you?"

"I couldn't afford Nabiki's price, and she said this was too big for any freebies even to family," Akane said, her eyes had gone strangely vacant, and her voice sounded numb. "She didn't tell me anything."

Ukyo and Ranma both stared at Akane speechless. Slowly she got to her feet and headed for the door.

"Akane?" Ranma asked taking a step towards the girl's back. Akane stopped and a shiver ran down her back. Slowly she turned to look over her shoulder at the pigtailed girl. Ranma flinched and looked away from the torrent of emotions she saw in the other girl's face.

"Why, Ranma," Akane said, the emotions playing in her voice also. "Just tell me why."

"I thought it was a cure," Ranma said. Slowly Akane turned and walked to stand before the smaller girl. Ranma held her breath as she looked into the other girl's eyes.

"I'm sorry Akane," she mumbled under her breath. 

"Are, are you in love with Ryoga now," Akane asked. Ranma winced.

"No," she responded. "The potion wore off."

Akane nodded.

For a moment they looked at each other, then Akane took a step back and slapped Ranma across the face.

"You idiot," Akane seethed. "How could you do something so stupid."

Ranma stumbled back, her eyes wide and her hand going to the red mark on her face. Akane took a step forward to keep the distance between them the same. At her side, Akane's fists were clenching and unclenching.

"Leave him alone," Ukyo shouted.

"Stay out of this, Ukyo," Akane snapped without looking at the chef. Akane reached forward and grabbed Ranma's collar, pulling her forward so their faces were only inches apart.

"Do you enjoy being so stupid?" Akane growled, shaking Ranma a bit. "Do you like having things like this happen to you?"

"I said that is enough," Ukyo yelled and started forward to separate the two. Before she could,  
however, Akane let Ranma go, and the red head stumbled back and fell into Ukyo, knocking them into a tangle on the floor. Akane stood looking down at both of them, a red glow starting to surround her body.

"First it was all those other girls, and now you've brought poor Ryoga into all this," Akane said. "You jerk, when are you going to start thinking about these stupid things you do before you do them."

"Its not his fault Akane," Ukyo growled from her position on the floor. "He didn't choose for any of this crap to happen. He might have been too trusting for believing Shampoo but that's it. Can't you see how much all this has hurt him?"

Akane's aura flared brighter at those words, then slowly faded and Akane slowly sank to the floor. She looked at Ranma and Ukyo for a moment, then burst into tears and began to sob into her hands.

"I-It was supposed to be me," she stammered between sobs.

Ranma disengaged herself from Ukyo and walked over and knelt beside Akane.

"Akane?" she asked hesitantly and put her hand on the girl's shacking shoulders. Akane pulled away from Ranma's touch and continued to sob. Ranma looked over his shoulder at Ukyo, who shook her head and shrugged.

"Akane, don't cry, please," Ranma said and put her hand on Akane's shoulder again. Again the short haired girl pulled away. "Please Akane."

With a sigh, and a helpless shake of her head, Ranma started to stand. She was stopped when Akane's hand shot out and took hers. With a moan, Akane leapt forward and threw her arms around Ranma's neck, knocking the smaller girl down. 

"Ranma you idiot," she said with a choked sob then buried her face against Ranma's neck and continued to cry. Ranma's pigtail stood on end as she looked at the distraught girl who had clamored on to her lap and was crying against her. She turned to Ukyo for help, but the chef had a strange, sad look on her face and offered no assistance.  
Slowly and hesitantly, Ranma brought her arms up and slid them around Akane. The girl seemed to tense for a moment, then relaxed more into Ranma's embrace.

"Shhhh, it's okay Akane," Ranma said and began rocking Akane slightly. "Everything is going to be just fine."

-  
Okay that's all I got so far for this teaser, the next part of the chapter will deal with Shampoo's training, and also another factor is going to be added it the mix.  
Tell me what you think so far, any input will be appreciated. Just send it to J-Hunt 


	9. Unexpected Results 11

Disclaimer: Don't own them, don't claim to. Just borrowing them for a while.

Ranma 1/2 Unexpected Results Part 11

Cologne watched sat watched her granddaughter closely, though she doubted the girl noticed. She watched as Shampoo squeezed her eyes closed and watched the tremor run through the girl's body. The young amazon bit her lower lip hard enough that Cologne wondered if she tasted blood. She watched the play of emotions as Shampoo struggled to regain herself, to restore some sense of control to her body. Her time in the healing bath was over; her body had mended so that not even a scar remained to show how badly it had been broken. Her body could almost have been called pristine, if one overlooked the neon green tint that her skin from the neck down had been dyed. 

Coloration aside, it had been a miracle, or had seemed one at first. She had been warned that there would be consequences of using the method. Cologne winced as she watched Shampoo struggling with those consequences now. Another tremor ran through the girl's body and caused a low moan to escape her lips. Her eyelids fluttered then opened and she once again stared at her enemy, her foe that had caused her self-control to crumble. 

The dumpling stared back, mocking her. With a cry the young amazon pounced upon it and devoured it in an orgy of sticky, sweet carnage. Cologne shook her head as she sat at ease on a nearby stump. She closed her eyes and inhaled lazily from her long stemmed pipe.

"I warned you, grand daughter," she said. "Your body has just gone through nearly a year's worth of healing in the space of a few hours. It used a lot of fuel, and now it needs that fuel to be replaced."

Shampoo moaned and turned towards her grandmother. The young amazon's eyes were glazed, feral, and her face was dumpling crumbs, and the remains of previous culinary victims. 

"I..I no can stop. Too...hungry." she panted, then shook as her stomach growled. She looked around wildly, her head whipping back and forth in desperation, till her eyes locked on a bowl of ramen sitting steaming on a stump. She hissed and pounced towards it. Cologne opened one eye and glanced over at the girl. She watched as the ground around Shampoo suddenly erupted in violence as the first trap was triggered. Spears jutted from the ground shooting up to skewer the green dyed girl. Shampoo, yelped and dodged passed them, her hungry eyes never leaving the prize. Her foot hit a small dirt mound that exploded.

Shampoo screamed in panic as she was thrown back, and sharp rocks turned to shrapnel that shredded her silk dress, one leaving a small gash to bleed on her arm. Despite this, she managed to land on her feet and charge again, her brain cutting off all pain as her driving hunger over took her. She lunged forward and triggered a third trap. She leapt up as the ground under her gave way, as the one side of the trap door fell down and the other raced up. She growled as she leapt and caught the edge of the wooden planks and used it as a push board to throw herself into the air. She landed with a animalistic squeal on the stump with the bowl and lifted it, downing the steaming contents in one large gulp. 

Cologne watched the girl and nodded. "Not bad. You managed to avoid most of the traps that time." 

The old woman stood up and stretched, working out a kink. Shampoo shivered and crouched on the stump and tried to fight down the gnawing need from her belly.

Cologne watched the girl as the young girl crouched and panted, her chest heaving and a feral look in her eyes. The elder closed her eyes for a moment and let a sigh escape her lips. There was much at stake in this fight along with hopes that she had not shared with Shampoo. She was stacking the deck, now it only remained for the players to use the hands they were dealt the way she intended. She watched as Shampoo dodged a swinging rock to grab a sandwich that hung from a string from a tree branch and shove the entire thing into her mouth. Cologne sighed again and went back to smoking her pipe. For now there was nothing to do but sit and wait, and watch over her great granddaughters training. That and hope that she had not misjudged Ranma. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thwack. The amazon elder opened her eyes and winced. Her great-granddaughter was flat on her back. Her eyes had rolled back and there was a mark the shape of a broom stick running down the middle of her face where a trap had caught her. Cologne shook her head and clucked her tongue as she moved to collect Shampoo from where the trap had laid her flat. She carried Shampoo over to the river and tossed her in.

The little pink cat yowled and sputtered as it came to the surface then struggled to the shore. It shook itself dry and the glared balefully up at its elder. Cologne arched an eyebrow and stared back at it. 

"You got careless. If you can not defeat a simple trap because of a little hunger, how do you expect to defeat your foe?" The cat hung its head and meowed, then shivered as its stomach growled. Cologne shook her head

"I will reset everything, then change you back and you can go through it again while there is still light. Go and wait by the fire"

Shampoo nodded and slowly trotted over to the small fire sullenly. Cologne patted out her pipe and sighed before speaking to herself. "Ah my Shampoo, gods willing, we will have a happy ending of this yet."

Of course that would require that Ranma acted as she expected he would when the time came. Given the current situation, that wasn't a certainty. She hopped along, resetting the traps and replacing the bait as Shampoo sat at the fire and fought to tear open a bag of crackers with her teeth and claws. Cologne watched her for a moment, and couldn't help but shake her head. Shampoo thought she knew what the price for the healing would be, but she had yet to realize just what it would actually mean. Despite herself, the old woman couldn't help the small smirk on her lips. She reset the last trap and moved back to the fire where her Shampoo had managed to tear the bag open and was hungrily inhaling the crackers from the dirt. The elder took up the kettle from the fire and poured it over the cat. Shampoo hissed and jumped as the very hot water poured over her.

"Aiiie..too hot.." she panted and shook then groaned and put her hands over her belly as it growled. "Shampoo still hungry..." She looked around, not seeming to care that she stood naked, or that her arm had only just stopped bleeding. Cologne put the kettle back then sighed. "You have to learn self-control. It was your lack of it that got you into trouble in the first place, and now it will get you killed. You rule your desires, don't let your desires rule you. Do what you NEED to do, not what you WANT to do, and don't let your emotions, or your belly get in the way."

She looked up at Shampoo, then whacked the girl on the head with her cane when she saw that the younger amazon was staring off at a plate of noodles instead of listening. Shampoo winced and rubbed her head and murmured an apology. Cologne sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Pay attention, child."

"Shampoo, pay attention!" The purple haired girl replied and stood firm for a moment, before a look of doubt crossed her face and she turned again to look at the food. "But..maybe Shampoo have small snack it help."

Cologne shook her head as Shampoo leapt for the noodles. The girl was nimble she had to admit as she watched Shampoo dodge between two spiked planks sprung up to catch her between them like a bear trap. She twisted in midair landed in a handstand a hairs breath away as the jaws snapped shut. She then sighed as the ground under Shampoo's hand gave way and the girl shrieked as she fell into the pit. Cologne hopped over to the edge and gazed down at her granddaughter who lay at the bottom, sprawled rather indecently in the rubble.

"In one ear and out the other," the elder sighed and leaned against her staff. She studied the semi-conscious green girl trying to decide the next best course of action. As she watched, the girl twitched and lifted her nose to sniff the air. Her eyes were closed tight, but that didn't start the tears from slipping free. Cologne winced and sighed, feeling old as she gazed down at the girl. 

"Shampoo get up," she commanded in a soft voice, soft so that if it broke the girl would not hear. Shampoo shivered but did not move.

"Why?" Shampoo whispered in response. "Shampoo dead now, dead people should stay in graves, yes? Should stop fighting, it no matter in end anyway." She gazed up at her grandmother with empty, vacant eyes.

"Shampoo have nothing now. I no want do this anymore! Ranma should kill Shampoo at Cat Cafe." She slammed her fists into the dirt. "Damn Ranma, why he no kill me, stupid, stupid Ranma! Shampoo hate him, hate him...Sh-Shampoo...hate everybody!"

She rolled onto her side and curled into a tight ball as she broke off into coking sobs. She lay there bruised and naked in the dirt, the broken at bottom of the abyss. Cologne watched as the girl sobbed and squeezed her own eyes shut. "Shampoo stop."

Shampoo sobbed and pulled herself tighter, her body shaking. "Shampoo want to die!"

"Shampoo!" Cologne barked. "So you want to die? Very well then, you can sit there and do nothing. And in a few days, I will deliver you to Ukyo and she can kill you. Is that want you want, child? Do you want Ukyo to kill you? Will that take away your shame? Will you let her see you as a broken coward?"

Shampoo stiffened and sniffled. She turned to looked at her grandmother. Her face was flushed from the tears, and her eyes had started to turn red, but there was a spark there now, a fire suddenly coming to life.

"Shampoo, Shampoo no coward. Shampoo hurt Ranma, so Ranma kill Shampoo, not stupid Spatula Girl." She glared up at her grandmother as if defying her to say otherwise. 

"Shampoo not give up," she stopped and chewed on her lip. "I..will not give up." She looked up to her grandmother and got to her feet and trembled. Their eyes met and Cologne could see the iron coming back into her granddaughter, the iron that her shame had taken away. She would need that iron if things by some miracle went the way Cologne hoped.

"Shampoo will...not give up," the teen panted and wobbled a bit on her feet. Cologne smiled and offered her cane down to help Shampoo from the pit. Shampoo gripped the end of the cane and used it to help scamper out. 

"What grandmother want Shampoo..me..do now?"

"The first thing you need to do is put your clothes back on." That caused Shampoo to look down at herself and blush. "Then, we are going to continue your training. You must learn to go after the food, without the hunger turning you into a mindless nitwit."

The green dyed girl nodded with a blush still coloring her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes closed as her stomach growled and let out a ragged breath. "I try grandmother..but is very very hard."

"I know child, I know, but its the hard things that usually have the most worth," she hopped up on her cane and patted her grandchild's cheek. "Now then, enough of this laziness. Go put some clothes on and lets get started."

Shampoo blushed and dashed to the water and carefully retrieved her clothes. She wrung them out as best she could, which left them a wrinkled, sodden mess. She shivered as the wet material clung to her frame like a second skin.

"Shampoo is ready grandmother."

Cologne inclined her head, giving a little nod, and Shampoo turned back to the training field, setting her sights on a bit of curry bread hung by a noose from a pole. Cologne took some heart in the fact that the girl took sometime to study the situation and didn't just blindly jump in to grab what she wanted. She felt tired as an deep, guilty part of her told her that she should have taught the girl that lesson long ago. She watched Shampoo snag the bread and avoid the spring loaded spear that tugging the noose caused to shoot up from the ground. She watched Shampoo land in a crouch a few feet away and stare down at the bread in her hand, and couldn't help the little smile when the girl only took one bite of it before turning to find a differant target, putting the bread in one of her pockets instead of devouring it.

When night came, Cologne was satisfied with the progress that had been made. Mentally, Shampoo had managed to put the hunger out of her mind for the most part, though she had gourged herself at dinner before curling up on a blanket by the campfire and drifting off. Physically, the girl had worked out the last kinks from her injuries, and had managed to gain a little speed and agility from the training. Cologne watched the girl sleep and shook her head. Tomorrow Shampoo would learn the second consequence of the treat. All that food she had eaten was refueling her body, but it DID have to go somewhere. 

The old woman enhailed deeply from her pipe and slowly let it escape, forming misty vapors that hovered over her head in the firelight. Two or three more days and it would be time to head back. In her heart, she wanted get to get the duel over with as soon as possible, but she knew she needed time, if for nothing else then to let tempers settle and level heads to return. Shampoo whimpered in her sleep and Cologne moved over to place a small, wrickled hand on her forehead to brush her hair back and try to sooth her. The girl truely was nothing in the eyes of the tribe now, she had lost everything. In the old woman's eyes, however, she was still her beauitful, impatient child. While there was still the faintest chance, Cologne was going to see that the best was done for her. To do that, Cologne would have to make a great sacrifice. Her granddaughter would never win the duel.

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Hiya, hehe I know an update already..even I'm shocked. No hints for the future, I'll just let you figure things out.  
next time back to the Tendo Dojo, and yes maybe even a look into Nabiki's mind. 


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